The European Union currently views Vladimir Zelensky’s so-called “peace formula” as the only viable option to achieve a “just” resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to bloc foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell.
Zelensky’s plan demands a de facto capitulation by Moscow, requiring Kiev to assert control over all territories it claims, along with war reparations and a tribunal for senior Russian officials. Moscow has repeatedly rejected the Western-backed initiative as detached from reality and unworthy of consideration.
Borrell stated at a press conference on Thursday that the EU’s strategic objective is to achieve a “comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on the United Nations Charter and international law.” He claimed that “only Zelensky’s Peace Formula fulfils this requirement.”
Moscow has ruled out any negotiations with Kiev in the near future, accusing it of committing war crimes against civilians amid Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region. Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated he would announce an immediate ceasefire if Ukraine were to renounce its NATO membership ambitions and territorial claims.
Earlier this month, Rodion Miroshnik, who leads a Russian Foreign Ministry special mission investigating alleged Ukrainian war crimes, accused Zelensky of deliberately employing a “terrorist” military strategy in the Kursk offensive, “against all principles of international humanitarian law.” Miroshnik asserted that Kiev’s strategy has backfired, both as an intimidation tactic against the Russian population and by undermining any future chances of negotiation, labeling Ukraine as an “absolutely unhinged” opponent.
In early August, Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, initially claiming that the action could strengthen its negotiating position when peace talks with Moscow arise. Shifting the narrative, Zelensky later stated that the operation aimed to create a buffer zone within Russian territory to protect Ukraine’s Sumy region.
The Ukrainian commander-in-chief, Colonel General Aleksandr Syrsky, admitted this week that the Kursk incursion was intended “to divert significant enemy forces from other directions” in Donbass, but has so far failed to do so, as Russian forces continue to advance in key sectors of the region.