Zelenskyy sounds more willing to negotiate some agreement - diplomat Bryza

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

‘You definitely do not want to rely on Viktor Orbán. He has been very problematic, pro-Putin, and against supporting Ukraine. The same goes for Robert Fico in Slovakia. I think President Zelenskyy has already been in contact with Trump. They have had personal meetings, and there is a discussion ongoing. We have seen that they met again just recently in Paris, correct? It seems that as these discussions have continued, President Zelenskyy’s position has softened somewhat regarding what could be acceptable to Ukraine,’ Bryza explained.

The diplomat noted that Volodymyr Zelenskyy's position on ending the war and conditions for negotiations has become less forceful in its demands. He noted that President Zelenskyy is probably considering a compromise.

‘Previously, his public stance was much clearer in terms of insisting that all Russian troops must leave Ukrainian territory. However, more recently, since these conversations with Trump, though perhaps it is purely a coincidence, President Zelenskyy has been less forceful or less strident in making demands. He now sounds more willing to negotiate some sort of agreement. 

It appears that President Zelenskyy is contemplating some form of compromise. He has discussed this with President Trump. From what it sounds like, this approach is not identical to President Zelenskyy’s original peace plan for Ukraine. So, there seems to be a dynamic and evolving situation influenced by President Trump. Everyone wants to maintain a good relationship with Trump because they know he is unpredictable, unconventional, and will exert pressure on both Kyiv and Moscow to end the war,’ he added.

• On December 13, NBC reported that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's national security team was in talks with the administration of current U.S. leader Joe Biden and Ukrainian officials to ‘find a way’ to end the war.
• At the same time, Keith Kellogg, the incoming U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia, expressed his belief that the war in Ukraine could be resolved within the next few months.