Zelenskiy will strive for peace deal with Russia, as indicated by adviser

Ukraine needs to reach a peace agreement with Russia
or fight a real war, in the view of Boris Shefir, a longtime partner to
President Zelenskiy in their entertainment business. “Do you think Putin is a
maniac who loves to shoot people? That he’s crazy? He’s a wise man. Yes, he has
imperial ambitions. But it’s possible to reach an agreement. And if not, then
we’ll declare a real war. What is this – fighting with one hand, and trading
with the other? It’s very important for there to be a desire from at least one
of the sides, otherwise there aren’t any prospects for peace,” Shefir said in
an interview with the detector.media news site published on May 30.

Regarding the Russians, Shefir also said, “If we
strongly want it, we can reach an agreement with them.” He said the elections
succeeded in removing those who profited from the war, referring to the
entourage of former President Petro Poroshenko. “The war has ceased to bring
income,” he said. Recall, Shefir’s brother Serhiy, also a partner in
their entertainment business, was appointed by Zelenskiy as his first aide.
Although Boris Shefir hasn’t been assigned any state post, he said in the
interview that he has assisted Zelenskiy during his presidency, including
drafting his inauguration speech.

Zenon Zawada: Zelenskiy is never going to declare “a real war” against Russia for
many reasons, the main one being that Ukraine isn’t incapable of fighting one
in its current condition. So Shefir’s comments are the latest sign that we can
expect Zelenskiy to make enormous efforts to reach a peace deal with Russia.
And it’s possible that this agreement will be widely interpreted as some form
of capitulation to Russian demands, which could cause destabilizing activity in
the country. With the political tide in Europe turning in Russia’s favor, we
can expect that Russia will impose high stakes on Ukraine for a peace deal.