Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin – the Russian mercenary leader whose plane crashed weeks after he led a mutiny against Moscow’s military leadership – shows what happens when people make deals with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

As Ukraine’s counteroffensive moves into a fourth month, with only modest gains to show so far, Zelensky told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria he rejected suggestions it was time to negotiate peace with the Kremlin.

“When you want to have a compromise or a dialogue with somebody, you cannot do it with a liar,” Volodymyr Zelensky said.

  • balderdash@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    Solutions that look to negotiate how to reduce corruption and authoritarianism in Russia from the top are therefore the most likely to succeed long term.

    This may be true but the negotiations are with a dictator. It’s not like Putin is going to step down so that the problem is resolved peacefully.

    • Meldroc@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      Yep. The only way to make progress on that front is to serve Putin some polonium tea…

      • gnuhaut@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        That won’t work, it’s not just Putin doing this alone you know. You’d need a powerful (the most powerful, actually) faction inside the Russian state apparatus that want to just give up, and there’s no real reason to think there is such a group. And no anti-war opposition has enough support to do a coup or win elections.

        No defeatist is getting into power. It’s not going to happen unless Lenin rises from the dead.

        • Serinus@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          I bet if they had a real option, they’d love to stop sending their kids to die.

          Saying as much now gets you thrown in jail.