President Zelensky may change approach to ending conflict
Ukraine's allies believe President Zelensky could soften his approach to negotiations with Russia to end the conflict.
According to RIA Novosti on October 9, Bloomberg quoted anonymous sources close to NATO as saying that Kiev's allies believe that President Volodymyr Zelensky's views on the conditions for ending the conflict in Ukraine may soften.
“Ukraine’s allies are sensing that President Volodymyr Zelensky may be preparing to take a more flexible approach, seeking to end the conflict with Russia,” Bloomberg reported.
Unnamed Ukrainian officials told Bloomberg they were ready to recognize the need to “resolve” the conflict, as winter approaches and Western support wanes.
Ukraine’s allies have stepped up pressure on Kiev to prepare a more concrete plan to end the conflict, Bloomberg reported. “The stalemate on the battlefield, tight Western budgets and the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November are pressuring allies to take a closer look at a negotiated solution,” Bloomberg said.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said on October 8 that the Vostok Task Force had taken control of the village of Zolotaya Niva in Donetsk, and Ukraine had lost up to 115 soldiers in this area.
The situation in Donetsk is becoming more challenging for Ukraine, as they have continuously lost control of their territory to Russia over the past time, including strategic areas where Kiev forces have held firm for many years. This trend shows Russia's overwhelming dominance in both troops and weapons. Russia uses massive firepower to attack from the air and from both flanks to close the encirclement.
TASS news agency quoted military expert Andrey Marochko predicting that Russia is starting to tighten its grip on Seversk and Donetsk and 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers are at risk of being surrounded in the near future.
