Pressure Mounts on Ukraine: Zelenskyy Can’t Avoid Concessions

As the war in Ukraine drags on, international pressure to find a resolution continues to grow. And according to Polish President Andrzej Duda, any future peace agreement will require painful compromises — including from Kyiv.

In an interview with Euronews, Duda made it clear: Ukraine must prepare to make concessions if the war with Russia is to come to an end.

The drawn-out conflict has taken a heavy toll on both sides, and Duda believes that a lasting peace can only be reached if neither party emerges as the clear victor.

“In my opinion, this peace should, de facto, end in a way that neither side can say it won the war, because each will, in some sense, have to step back,” Duda explained.

At the same time, he emphasized that only one global actor has the real power to change the course of this war: the United States.

Duda singled out former President Donald Trump as a potential key figure in pressuring Russia to come to the negotiating table. Trump’s approach — rooted in hardline deal-making and business strategy — might be just what’s needed to force a compromise-based resolution, Duda suggested.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, has maintained a firm position: no part of Ukraine’s territory is up for negotiation. In a recent statement, he again rejected the idea of ceding land to Russia, declaring, “There is nothing to talk about. This is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people.”

Several diplomatic efforts — including high-level meetings in London between U.S., European, and Ukrainian officials — have sought to find a path forward. But differences in strategy and downgraded participation have made progress difficult.

Still, Duda believes that a solution is possible, but only if all sides accept that peace won’t feel like victory. On the contrary, it will be shaped by difficult compromises — and perhaps that’s exactly why it might last.

“It is only American pressure that can really bring this war to an end and help forge a peace that won’t be comfortable for either side. But maybe that’s what will make it last,” he told Euronews.com.

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