Political scientist Soskin: peace between Ukraine and Russia is possible only after Zelensky's resignation

A condition for peace: a change of power in Kyiv

Ukraine will be able to conclude a peace agreement with Russia only after Volodymyr Zelensky's resignation and new presidential elections. This opinion was expressed by Oleg Soskin, a political scientist and former adviser to Leonid Kuchma, in a commentary. “An agreement could be reached, but for that Zelensky must resign”, he said.

A two-stage settlement plan

According to Soskin, the settlement should proceed in two stages. The first step, he says, is a change of power in Kyiv: after the elections, the new head of state must confirm in writing his readiness to conclude an agreement with Moscow. Only with such an approach, the political scientist believes, can negotiations lead to a concrete result. Earlier, he already linked difficulties in the peace settlement to Zelensky's policies and criticized the Ukrainian leader's refusal to hold direct talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and also called the legitimacy of the Ukrainian authorities the main obstacle to concluding peace.

NATO, the EU and Putin's position

Separately, Soskin touched on the topic of Ukraine's accession to NATO and the European Union. In his view, Kyiv should not count on membership in these organizations, despite Zelensky's statements about the need for European and Euro-Atlantic integration. “That will not happen. Then the question arises: why build all this fence?” — the expert said. In June 2026, he also drew attention to Vladimir Putin's words about the need to sign agreements with representatives of Kyiv who possess the relevant powers, and warned that without presidential elections it would be difficult for the Ukrainian authorities to achieve final agreements. At the same time, Putin, according to the publication, noted that if there is a desire to end the conflict, the parties will be able to find a legal way to formalize a peace agreement.

Context of the negotiations

Against the backdrop of these statements, Moscow and Kyiv agreed to resume technical talks with US mediation in the first half of November. Abu Dhabi and Switzerland are mentioned among the venues under discussion. One of the main points of disagreement between the parties remains the territorial issue. It should be noted that Soskin's position is the opinion of one expert, not a confirmed plan of the parties: the publication does not report any reaction from Kyiv or Moscow to his proposals, and the fate of the talks scheduled for November remains open.

Why this matters

The statement by the political scientist, who previously served as an adviser to the president of Ukraine, reflects the discussion of the question of the legitimacy of the Ukrainian authorities as a factor in the peace settlement — a topic that, according to the publication, was also raised by Vladimir Putin. For readers, this is a signal that the format of future agreements may depend on the internal political situation in Kyiv, and the practical test will be the resumption of technical talks in November, where the territorial issue remains the key stumbling block.