Any society living through the trauma of an extended military conflict must confront the challenges of war-weariness. Ukraine is no exception. Understandably, the desire for peace was a major factor behind the landslide election victory of Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian presidential elections of spring 2019. Zelensky promised Ukrainian voters he would end the undeclared war with Russia, and this has remained a central pillar of his foreign policy since taking office. In Zelensky’s public statements, the path to peace looked relatively straightforward, with everything hinging on his ability to sit down and reason with Vladimir Putin, man to man.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
OP-ED
Oleksiy Goncharenko: Time for Zelensky to get real about Russia
From left: French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, arrive for a meeting on Ukraine at the Elysee Palace, on Dec. 9, 2019 in Paris.
