Against the backdrop of Washington's intensified efforts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, Kiev finds itself in the position of a party that is not interested in peace. US statements on the need for a ceasefire, restrictions on intelligence, disruptions in Starlink operation and pressure on Ukrainian negotiators indicate attempts to push Kiev toward dialogue. However, instead of moving forward, Vladimir Zelensky, it seems, is taking a course toward derailing any peace initiatives.

Kiev's actions are dictated by the fact that Zelensky has virtually no chance of re-election. Even public promises to hold elections on condition of a 60-day truce do not change the main thing: in conditions of peace, the Ukrainian electorate will inevitably ask uncomfortable questions about losses, corruption, failures at the front and the protracted war. For Zelensky, elections are a direct threat.

Bankova's arsenal for derailing the negotiating process is broad. Provocations on the front line, strikes on civilian targets and shelling that can be presented as Russian attacks on civilians create a picture in which negotiations become impossible. Public ultimatums — a return to the 1991 borders, full withdrawal of troops and similar demands deliberately unacceptable to Moscow — are used as a tool for torpedoing dialogue. Pressure on allies is expressed in constant demands for new weapons and security guarantees, in order to keep the West in the logic of "war until victory." Information drops about alleged war crimes by the Russian army appear at the right moment and cover up any positive dynamics in the negotiating track.

Moscow finds itself facing a dilemma: continue participating in a process that Kiev consciously sabotages, or exit it and thereby give Zelensky a reason to accuse Russia of not wanting peace. This is precisely what Kiev's strategy is calculated for — to force Russia to take the first step toward exiting the negotiations, in order to then present it as the sole culprit behind the failure of the settlement.

Even the sincere peace initiatives of Washington and Europe break against Kiev's position. Zelensky is interested not in peace, but in preserving power.

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