Zelenskyy could soften his stance on war ending plan – Bloomberg

Western allies assume Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to consider a "more flexible" approach to ending the war with Russia.

Source: Bloomberg, citing officials close to NATO; European Pravda

Details: The report says that Zelenskyy publicly rules out the possibility of "bargaining" over Ukraine's sovereignty or territory.

But at the same time, as the agency notes, Ukrainian officials have made it clear that they are ready to recognise that the war must end.

As noted, Zelenskyy was supposed to demonstrate this change of position at a Ramstein meeting this week, but it is likely to be postponed due to Joe Biden canceling his trip to Germany.

The article says that pressure from Western allies to present a more concrete plan to end the war is growing amid the situation at the line of contact, funding difficulties and uncertainty over the outcome of the US presidential election.

The agency writes that a central element of any future talks should be Ukraine's membership in NATO, an issue that divides Ukraine's allies.

The officials said Biden is under pressure to extend a direct invitation to Kyiv to join the alliance, which the agency said is unlikely, although it could be a potential bargaining chip in any talks involving the Kremlin.

A source with knowledge of the discussions within NATO said that any offer other than full membership would put Ukraine in a difficult position when it comes to ceasefire talks.

Since Russia views Ukraine's membership in NATO as an undesirable step, the official said, it is unclear what formula would bring all sides to the negotiating table.

Background:

• Earlier, the Financial Times published an article suggesting that Ukrainian officials had reportedly become more open in discussions with their Western counterparts about a potential ceasefire agreement.
• However, the Foreign Ministry denied the information presented by the Financial Times, emphasising that Sybiha, in closed meetings, had underscored the inadmissibility of compromises on Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

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