Negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation are a completely realistic prospect. However, for this to happen, it is necessary to stop the Russian advance, states political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko in a comment to the YouTube channel of RBC-Ukraine.

In particular, the political scientist commented on the statement made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming that Moscow would continue to achieve all the objectives of the “special military operation” next year.

“This may add some realism. To some of our politicians and part of society who have started living in anticipation of the war’s end and have begun preparing for elections. The real situation is that Putin does not want a freeze in the war,” Fesenko explained.

He also noted that newly elected US President Donald Trump would most likely push for a freeze in the war in exchange for concessions, including a moratorium on Ukraine’s NATO membership.

“But Putin and Kremlin representatives show that they are not interested in a freeze; they want a complete victory over Ukraine. I think we need to prepare for a different scenario,” said the expert.

According to the political scientist, before any real negotiations can begin, Russia must be stopped on the battlefield.

“Before any real negotiations begin, and I don’t rule out that Russia will eventually agree to negotiations, but for real negotiations to start, we need to stop the Russian offensive,” emphasized Fesenko.

He stressed that this would be the key condition for any realistic negotiations on halting the fighting.

“As long as the offensive continues, Putin will have the illusion of victory. This will influence his behavior and the situation around potential peace talks,” the political scientist added.

Yesterday during his speech, Putin was somewhat confused in his statements. Specifically, the Russian President first claimed that his country allegedly seeks to end the war in Ukraine. However, he later emphasized that in 2025, Russia “will continue to achieve all the objectives of the special military operation.”

Earlier, Trump had expressed his desire to quickly end the war between Russia and Ukraine. According to his statements before the US elections, he planned to do so within the first 24 hours of his presidency.

Trump also promised to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end the war.