Peace Agreement Deadline: 10 Key Questions for Ukraine’s President

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President Zelenskyy said the US has set a new early-June deadline for a peace deal, and Ukraine is determined to keep the US engaged.

Obvious questions arise:

1. Why was the previous deadline broken if Ukraine did everything it could to meet the wishes of the American delegation and the US president? Who broke it?

2. June of what year? If it’s the current year, why June and not, say, May or July?

3. What will the postponement of the deadline achieve if the mediators continue to exert pressure only on one of the negotiating parties, that is, on Ukraine?

4. Will there finally be concrete steps to put pressure on the Russian regime?

5. Why is there no adequate response to the terrorist actions of the Russian Federation, now attempting to deprive Ukrainians of their basic life needs?

6. What else needs to happen by June: the advance of Russian troops into the Donetsk region right up to its administrative borders; the destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure; the mass killings of Ukrainians so that the “conditions for peace” are ready?

7. If there is such a deadline, why can’t we conclude agreements on security parameters now? Will this also become a lever of pressure on Ukraine (a strange approach for mediation)?

8. Will European countries continue to be mostly passive observers, or will they still start playing their own game, together with Ukraine?

9. Shouldn’t the delegations then mind their own business and not create the illusion of a seemingly successful negotiation process?

10. Why is there no mention of an unconditional ceasefire and truce as a prerequisite for any negotiations, since this was the official position of the United States and Donald Trump personally?

And the main question: can such a path really lead to lasting peace, or will it be just an imitation aimed at demotivating Ukraine’s partners to support it with weapons and resources and, at the same time, allow Russian war criminals, along with their other criminal allies, to continue waging an aggressive war in Europe?

Recall that in Abu Dhabi, Ukraine, the United States, and Russia held another round of talks on the settlement of the war. The parties have made some headway on procedural matters, but major differences persist. The most disputed point in the talks remains control over the entire Donetsk region, where no agreement has yet been reached.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated the Kremlin’s demands for Ukraine to end the war.  Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said the messages signal Moscow’s intent to bring Ukraine under political subordination. The Kremlin may be trying to achieve this without full military control over Ukraine’s territory, using political influence and the formation of a loyal government.

At the same time, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the main priority remains the cessation of hostilities and expressed hope that peace will be achieved within the next year thanks to active diplomacy and negotiations.

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