President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. Archival photoMOSCOW, 12 Jun. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky softened his rhetoric and hinted at the possibility of abandoning claims to Crimea, Richard Haas, a former American diplomat and president of the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in an article for Foreign Affairs magazine. In his opinion, the Ukrainian authorities still have no consensus on this issue.
"As for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he has changed his position. At times, he said he would not agree to anything short of restoring the status quo that existed from 1991, when Ukraine became independent from the Soviet Union, until 2014. At other times, he hinted that Ukraine could live with a return to a different status quo that existed from 2014 until February 24, 2022, which would mean maintaining Russian control over Crimea", Haas said.
Among the factors that could provoke Kyiv to request peace talks, the author of the publication called the huge costs due to hostilities, the difficult situation at the front and the West's hesitation in supporting the country. Russia has been conducting a military operation in Ukraine since February 24. According to the Ministry of Defense, the Russian army has already completed the main tasks of the first stage — it has significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the department was called the liberation of Donbass.