“We have support for peace not only from our international partners but also from people in Putin’s closest circle.” That was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claim this week, and he did not name anyone. “They understand what is happening and that there is no alternative to peace,” he said, adding that Kyiv had put forward proposals on how to get there.
It was not the first time he has described a rift in Moscow. Earlier reporting from RBC-Ukraine quoted him saying the Kremlin leader’s inner circle has no consensus on the war’s future. Some, in his telling, argue for fighting on, while others want it finished.
The businessmen
Zelenskyy singled out Russia’s business class. “I think that people who are from business, they understand that the economy is in terrible situation in Russia,” he said.
He also laid out what would bring the war closer to an end. Europe, Canada and the United States would need to keep sanctions in place and press harder on Russia’s shadow fleet and other parts of its economy. Ukraine must stay strong on the battlefield. And pressure on Russia would have to rise on every front. On negotiations, he said Kyiv’s position has not changed: Ukraine is ready to talk but will not give up territory.
Petrol and sanctions
Zelenskyy said Russia is dealing with a worsening petrol shortage, and he blamed Ukraine’s continuing long-range strikes. Ukrainian forces, he noted, have hit targets in several Russian regions and military objectives in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
The European Union is pushing the sanctions track too. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Russia’s losses from sanctions have already passed $1.5 trillion, and that the bloc is preparing new restrictions on 80 organizations and individuals.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, appears to be tightening its own security. After the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, RBC-Ukraine reported, Russian intelligence agencies briefly shut down the video surveillance system around Putin to check it, worried about what modern intelligence technology can do.
Sources
- Zelenskyy says cracks emerging inside Putin's inner circle over war
- Zelenskyy says some in Putin's inner circle support ending the war
