While Zelensky said Tuesday he was open to peace talks, he stressed he would not stop fighting during the winter. His comments follow suggestions from some US officials, including Army Chief General Mark Milley, that Ukraine may not expel Russian forces from all of its territory and that winter may provide an opportunity to open negotiations with Russia . “We will not allow Russia to wait for it, build up its forces and then start a new series of terrorism and global destabilization,” Zelensky said in a video clip at the G20 summit in Bali. “I am convinced that now is the time when Russia’s destructive war must and can be stopped.” Snubbing Russia to the G19 leaders, Zelensky said his “path to peace” was “not only for us, but also for all of you, your allies and partners”. Some Western diplomats privately discussed the February 24 lines as a possible starting point for talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Zelensky’s plan was confirmation that Kyiv “had no desire to hold negotiations,” state-run news network Ria Novosti reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the G20 and was represented by his Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov. Zelensky said his 10-point plan was created “on the basis of the UN Charter and international law.” Reiterating his earlier calls for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops, Zelensky called for an end to hostilities and the release of all prisoners of war and Ukrainians forcibly expelled from Moscow. He also said that energy security will be the key to Ukraine’s success and lasting peace. “You can all watch what Russian terrorism is targeting now,” he said. “This is an attempt to turn the cold into a weapon. A weapon against millions of people.” About 40 percent of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian missile and drone strikes since early October. “Every week, Russia blows up power plants, transformers and power lines,” Zelensky added. The president’s call followed his unannounced visit to Kherson on Monday, three days after Ukrainian troops liberated the city from Russian forces in one of the most significant military achievements since Putin launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February. “It’s like, for example, D-Day — the Allied landings in Normandy,” Zelensky said as he greeted Kherson residents and oversaw the return of the Ukrainian flag over the city. Kherson was the only capital of the province that the Russian forces had captured. Ukrainian officials have stressed in recent days that they intend to keep fighting, despite mixed messages from the West about whether it is time to take a more serious look at negotiations with Russia. Ukraine’s army chief, General Valerii Zaluzhny, spoke to his US counterpart Milley on Monday and told him that “we will fight as long as we have the strength” and that Ukraine would advance the government’s goal of liberating all Ukrainian territory held by the Russian forces. Milley has been a strong advocate of finding an opportunity for peace talks this winter. “We will not stop on this path under any circumstances. The Ukrainian military will not accept any negotiation, agreement or compromise,” Zaluzhny told Milley. A debate among US officials over when Ukraine should hold talks with Russia has spilled over, with Milley saying last week that a pause in winter fighting would create “a window of opportunity for negotiations”. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan later told reporters that “as long as Russia takes the position that it just manages to grab as much territory as it wants by force, it’s hard to see it as a bona fide counterparty in a negotiation.” US President Joe Biden and other senior US officials have recently stressed that they will continue to provide Ukraine with lethal military aid, with another package expected in the coming weeks.
