Diplomatic solution possible? Russia loses initiative on the battlefield

Since the end of December last year, the Russian army has suffered increasing losses of soldiers, explains Ukrainian President Selenskyj. In his opinion, this makes a diplomatic solution possible.

Keystone-SDA

31.05.2026, 20:52

SDA

Russia is losing the initiative on the battlefield in the war against Ukraine, opening the way to a diplomatic solution to the conflict, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Since the end of December last year, the Russian army has been increasingly on the back foot with heavy losses of soldiers, Selensky explained in an interview with CBS News. Russia cannot occupy more territory than Ukraine is recapturing.

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"So I think we have to find a diplomatic way - sit down and negotiate - until the beginning of next winter," said Selensky. However, this would require internal pressure on Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin as well as more sanctions pressure from the USA and Europe. Europe must also sit at the negotiating table, possibly in a tripartite format of Great Britain, France and Germany.

Previous attempts at negotiation or mediation have failed due to Moscow's maximum demands. These include Kiev withdrawing its army from the areas in the Donbass not yet conquered by Russia, which form the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Criticism of the easing

Selensky criticized the easing of sanctions against Russia in light of the oil crisis caused by the US war against Iran. "Lifting sanctions means helping Russian soldiers by helping Russian industry," he said. The easing of sanctions against Moscow had not resulted in any surprises such as lower global prices for oil, petrol or diesel.

Rather, in his opinion, this easing was a way to build dialog with Russia. "But this is not the right approach, because they (the Russians) don't understand words or empathy and see it as a sign of weakness."