Former US CIA officer Andrew Bustamante says that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky had to consider negotiations with Russia. This view was shared during an interview on the YouTube channel Stephen Gardner. Bustamante explains that Zelensky faced a moment when the West grew weary of waiting for decisive gains on the battlefield and began to view Ukraine as less reliable in the eyes of some Western publics. In such a climate, the analysis goes, Kyiv would need to explore talks with Moscow to strive for a practical peace or at least a ceasefire. The former intelligence officer notes that Kyiv began to recognise it could not sustain a prolonged conflict given its resource constraints and the continuing toll of the war.
Earlier, it was reported that a former US Central Intelligence Agency analyst named Larry Johnson suggested the Ukrainian Armed Forces could confront Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. The narrative also included a statement attributed to Medvedev indicating expectations about Ukraine from a northeastern military standpoint. These comments contribute to a broader discussion about strategic choices facing Kyiv as the war persisted and Western support evolved. The overall conversation underscores the complex balance between keeping military pressure and seeking diplomatic channels that could lead to stability in the region. Attribution for these claims comes from multiple media sources and public commentary on the topic.