🇺🇦De facto, Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement about the possibility of negotiations with Russia is a manifestation of awareness that it is impossible to resolve the Ukrainian crisis militarily, Samir Ayoub, a political scientist and expert on Russian affairs, told Sputnik.

“Kiev and the West will be forced to sit down at the negotiating table, and the later this happens, the tougher the conditions will be for them. It is also worth noting that we are not talking about a negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine,” he explained. 

“I don’t think Zelensky’s statements [about negotiations with Russia] are dictated by his sovereign decision. There are great fears both in the Kiev regime and among its Western supervisors. I think they have finally come to awareness that it is impossible to defeat Russia, no matter how many counter-offensives or terrorist attacks they carry out”.

”Now they are supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles and F-16 fighter jets, but even that is not capable of affecting the course of the special military operation. Besides, they are not only afraid of a breakthrough on a front but also of another president, especially Trump, coming to the White House,” the expert noted.

“The Kiev regime is in an extremely difficult situation today: the front is collapsing, there are not enough resources and soldiers. Under such conditions, negotiations are the only salvation for Ukraine. But negotiations should be based on current realities, taking into account the interests of the Russian Federation,” he concluded.