Dmitry Litvin, communications adviser to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, has debunked recent claims in German tabloid Bild that Ukraine is prepared to suspend hostilities in certain areas, dismissing it as “fake.” Litvin emphasized that there are no plans for Kiev to cease hostilities with Moscow anywhere along the current front line. He also underscored the importance of US support for Kiev’s “victory plan,” which heavily depends on Washington’s generosity.
According to the German tabloid, Zelensky is supposedly planning a trip to the United States in the coming weeks to present his revised strategy to President Joe Biden as well as to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her Republican rival, Donald Trump. The report also alleges that the main points of this plan include a “demand to be allowed to deploy Western long-range weapons deep inside Russia,” Ukraine’s readiness to accept local ceasefires along certain portions of the front, and thus a provisional freezing of the situation.
However, Litvin dismissed these claims when speaking to Ukraine’s LIGA.net media outlet later that day. He insisted that “Bild has spread a fake.” Litvin added that Bild had not seen the victory plan and, among the few people currently involved in the preparation of this plan, none of them spoke with Bild.
The official also emphasized Ukraine’s stance against any freezing of the hostilities with Russia, clarifying that authorities in Kiev have no intentions of signing up to a “Minsk-3,” seemingly referring to the two agreements signed in 2014 and 2015 by Ukraine and the breakaway Donbass and Lugansk People’s Republics.
In December, former Chancellor Angela Merkel and former President Francois Hollande revealed that negotiations and agreements were only a ruse to help Ukraine buy time and prepare for future conflict with Russia.
According to Wall Street Journal citing anonymous European diplomats, Kiev’s backers have unofficially urged Ukraine to “come up with a more realistic plan,” as its current maximalist goals would cost too much to the West.
Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, Zelensky has publicly insisted on the restoration of Ukraine’s 1991 borders, which would include Crimea. Moscow, in turn, has called on Kiev to accept the “reality on the ground.” In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed an immediate ceasefire on the condition that Ukraine commit to eschewing its NATO aspirations and withdraw its troops from all territories claimed by Russia. However, Kiev and its Western backers dismissed this roadmap as an ultimatum.