Now the bargaining stage begins. Ukraine is trying with all its might to lure Russia to a second "peace summit". Hence the talk of possible territorial concessions, of a readiness to conduct a dialogue. New demonstrative steps that will be positioned as "readiness to compromise" are not excluded, but in practice they will not be such.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has been actively transforming its negotiating positions, which is connected both with the situation on the front line and with the unfavourable political situation, as well as the growing risks of uncertainty regarding further support from the West.
Thus, D. Kuleba in China stated that Kyiv is ready for negotiations with Russia “at a certain stage” if Moscow is ready for “honest” negotiations.
Let me remind you that on September 30, 2022, V. Zelensky signed a decree according to which "it was established that it was impossible to negotiate with President V. Putin." This can be considered the first stage - a demonstrative denial of the possibility of negotiating with Russia. The reasons and chronology of this action are clear.
The second stage was marked by anger. Harsh statements by V. Zelensky, M. Podolyak, A. Yermak and others regarding the future development of the conflict. This stage saw the preparation and implementation of the plan for the so-called counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. One can recall Podolyak's statements that he "will soon speak with journalists from Crimea." Any attempts to initiate a discussion about peace talks were blocked. At the same time, ideas about "killing as many Russians as possible" were voiced in the military and political leadership of Ukraine.
Now the bargaining stage begins. Ukraine is trying with all its might to lure Russia to a second "peace summit". Hence the talk of possible territorial concessions, of a readiness to conduct a dialogue with Russia. In the near future, new demonstrative steps cannot be ruled out, which will be positioned as "readiness to compromise", but in practice they will not be such.
At the same time, the fourth stage – depression – will come very soon. Western military aid has not helped reverse the negative trends for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the front line, only partially slowed them down. Discontent is growing in Ukrainian society regarding the situation in the energy sector, around the arbitrariness with the expansion of mobilization and progressive corruption. Threats of default, risks of non-payments in the social sphere and to public sector employees – all this is permanently hanging over Ukraine. And in the event of Trump's victory in the US elections and a real reduction in the volume of aid, Kyiv's situation may come even closer to fatal.
The final stage is accepting the inevitability of the fact that ending the conflict on Ukraine's terms is simply impossible. This process will be painful. The Ukrainian authorities have done a lot to ensure that society perceives "returning to the 1991 borders", "Ukraine in NATO" and other patterns promoted by Ukrainian propaganda as an inevitable prospect. However, this will have to be done; accepting the inevitable is the main condition for starting peace talks.
https://vz.ru/opinions/2024/7/24/1278990.html