Ukraine Is Open for Peace Talks with Russia on 1 Condition But US Says It Won't Push Kyiv To Do So

If Kyiv's military can retake all the territory it lost during the invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky is willing to negotiate with Vladimir Putin.

In September, Zelensky issued a directive that prohibited peace negotiations. The goal, according to a senior government official, is to drive the Russians back to the alleged borders of February 23 so that we can then begin negotiations.

Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks

After Russia announced its departure, Ukraine's military forces were able to retake vast portions of the northeast Kharkiv area, and they are now closing in on Kherson in the south. According to Kyiv International Institute of Sociology opinion polls, 87% of Ukrainians are adamantly opposed to making any territorial compromises.

The Russian dictator would also need to stop his indiscriminate airstrikes against people in Ukrainian towns and cities, which, according to Kyiv's Western allies, he shows no sign of doing. However, the insider acknowledged that if the Ukrainian military tried to take back both seized districts, "the cost would be too great" in terms of lives, as per Daily Mail.

The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled a $400 million package of security help that focuses on air defense and includes missiles and US Avenger systems as a response to Russia's drone and missile assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US wants to increase the Ukrainians' prospects on the battlefield so they're in the best possible position to negotiate a peace agreement when the time comes. Per USA Today, Sullivan made the statement during a White House briefing.

Additionally, Sullivan said that the US is not forcing Ukraine to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace talks. According to a story published last week by The Washington Post, the administration has urged Ukrainian leaders to express an interest in such a plan, mostly to keep the backing of other countries who may be growing weary of a lengthy conflict.

Zelensky Still Believes Negotiating With Putin is 'Useless'

Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, the president emphasized yesterday, is our guiding principle, Sullivan said. "It is ultimately up to Ukraine to make decisions about its diplomatic future." According to unidentified US officials and other persons acquainted with the situation, the Biden administration is hesitant to escalate the conflict by giving Ukraine modern Gray Eagle MQ-1C drones.

Russia has started bombarding Ukraine's energy installations with drones that were developed in Iran and are explosive. However, US authorities are hesitant to provide Ukraine weaponry that may be used to strike targets in Russia.

Zelensky stated in his evening speech on Thursday that in order to free the remainder of its land from Russian control, Ukraine would have to "go all the way, both on the battlefield and in diplomacy." It was also revealed on Thursday that US President Joe Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time at the G20 summit.

China has mostly avoided criticizing Russia's conflict in Ukraine, but has so far refrained from arming Moscow. Biden and Xi will talk about Ukraine, according to Sullivan, who praised Xi for his recent condemnation of Russian threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

General Mike Milley, the leader of the US joint chiefs of staff, advised Russia and Ukraine to "seize the moment" and reopen communication on a potential peace talks before to the G20 summit.

A potential stalemate in fighting over the winter could offer a "window of opportunity" for negotiations, he added. He claimed that Russia and Ukraine had each lost or wounded about 100,000 soldiers, and that negotiations would be contingent on both sides admitting that they could not win on the battlefield.

After Russia declared it was leaving Kherson on Thursday, Ukraine announced the liberation of 41 communities, as per The Telegraph via MSN. According to sources close to the Ukrainian administration, Kiev was willing to communicate, but Zelensky's stance that attempts to engage with Putin are useless had not altered.