As Moscow halted gas supplies to Finland, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned on Saturday that only a political breakthrough, rather than an outright military triumph, could end Russia’s assault on his nation.
“There are some problems that can only be resolved at the negotiation table,” Zelensky added, just as Russia claimed its long-range missiles had destroyed a shipment of Western supplies bound for Ukrainian soldiers.
After little over a month of warfare, Ukrainian forces have repulsed Russian efforts to overrun Kyiv and the northern city of Kharkiv, but are under renewed and strong pressure in the eastern Donbas area.
The Russian army has destroyed and taken the southeastern port city of Mariupol, as well as subjected Ukrainian forces and cities in the east to a merciless land and air assault.
Western allies have sent sophisticated weapons to Zelensky’s men and slapped harsh penalties on the Russian economy and President Vladimir Putin’s closest circle. However, the Kremlin has retaliated by disrupting European energy supplies, cutting off gas exports to Finland, which has enraged Moscow by requesting to join the NATO alliance.
Against this context, Zelensky promised Ukrainian television that the battle will be resolved “diplomatically.”
He warned that the confrontation “will be violent, there will be fighting, but it will only be resolved via negotiation,” pledging only that the outcome will be “fair” to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia said on Saturday that it will exclude 963 Americans from entering the country, including US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and CIA Director William Burns.
The travel bans are just symbolic, but they are part of a downward spiral in Russia’s ties with the US and its allies since its February 24 invasion of Ukraine.