Russia's Medvedev says victory will come soon in Ukraine war
Dmitry Medvedev also concerned for possible issues after victory. PHOTO: REUTERS
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's powerful Security Council, said that Russia will "soon" win military victory in the Ukraine war but the key thing was to prevent any further conflict.
"Soon," Medvedev, who served as Russian president from 2008 to 2012, said, when asked by the WarGonzo Russian war blogger in an interview when Russia would win the war. "I would like this to happen as soon as possible."
"But it is equally important to think about what will happen next. After all, the goal of victory is to prevent new conflicts. This is absolutely obvious," Medvedev said in the interview with TASS, War Gonzo and Reuters.
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Ukraine talks next week
US-backed trilateral talks involving Ukraine and Russia will take place next week in Abu Dhabi, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday, as Ukrainians faced uncertainty over the fate of an energy ceasefire with Russia amid plunging temperatures.
Our negotiating team has just delivered a report. The dates for the next trilateral meetings have been set – February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine is ready for a substantive discussion, and we are interested in ensuring that the outcome brings us closer to a real and dignified…
Kyiv is under US pressure to secure peace in the nearly four-year war while grappling with a Russian campaign of air strikes that has ravaged its energy system during one of the coldest winters in years.
The first round of negotiations took place in late January, but led to no new movement on the vital question of territory, with Moscow still demanding Kyiv cede more land in its war-torn east, which it refuses to do.
Zelenskiy said the new talks would take place on February 4 and 5, and that Ukraine - struggling to stop grinding Russian advances on the battlefield - was ready for a "substantive discussion".
"Ukraine is ready for a substantive discussion, and we are interested in ensuring that the outcome brings us closer to a real and dignified end to the war," Zelenskiy wrote on X.