Negotiations or escalation: Zelenskyy reveals what lies ahead for Ukraine this winter
This was stated by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland, Micheál Martin.
“We have two paths ahead of us this winter. The first path is – God grant us and our army the strength, because resilience on the front line is vital – so that we can finally sit down at the negotiating table with Russia and bring this war to an end. This is the priority; this is what I am focusing on. We both understand who we are dealing with. Because the alternative to this – which Russia is always seeking – is war and increased mobilisation,” said the President.
The President also explained that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, there are currently two camps around Putin. The first is persuading the Kremlin dictator of the need to end the war, whilst the second is urging him to continue hostilities.
“I received a comprehensive intelligence briefing yesterday, and we can see that there are people close to Putin who want to end the war and can see the economic collapse coming. But there are the ‘military hardliners’ who want to escalate the war,” added Zelenskyy.
What to expect from the war this winter
A number of sources report that Russia may announce a compulsory mobilisation as early as this autumn. According to German military analyst Julian Röpke, Russia could mobilise between 250,000 and 500,000 troops. At the same time, he emphasised that these troops may be less motivated than contract soldiers, who joined the army for financial gain.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg notes that Russia is beginning to abandon the plan that Kremlin dictator Putin agreed with US President Donald Trump during their last meeting. According to the publication, Moscow is now abandoning the idea of returning part of the territory to Ukraine on the condition that the Ukrainian Defence Forces withdraw from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
As a reminder, ThePiblic previously reported on what lies ahead for Ukraine in the 2026/2027 heating season and how to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
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