Last May, President Volodymyr Zelensky took office promising to end the then-five-year old war with Russia – to “just stop the shooting”.
https://www.crisisgroup.org/europe-central-asia/eastern-europe/ukraine/peace-ukraine-promise-yet-be-kept
On the campaign trail, presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskyy said multiple times that he would strike a peace deal during his presidency. He used as an electoral weapon people`s desire to have not just a stable life but also a peaceful one.
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/zelenskyys-peace
When Volodymyr Zelenskiy sought to become Ukraine’s president, he stood on a platform of peace. He promised to sit down with Vladimir Putin and reach a deal, end the unpopular war in the east and focus on important domestic reforms.
But critics fear that by refusing to make concessions to Moscow, Zelenskiy is steering his country towards disaster(how right they were)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/20/ukraines-leader-stood-on-platform-of-peace-but-finds-himself-on-brink-war
Zelenskiy’s announcement that he was considering moving forward with the Steinmeier formula immediately attracted strong opposition from some groups in Ukraine. The most vocal of these have been the far-right and nationalist groups (uh-oh)
The Kremlin’s and international community’s reaction to the Steinmeier formula has largely been positive.
https://theconversation.com/ukraine-window-opens-for-peace-in-the-donbas-after-volodymyr-zelenskiy-agrees-to-election-plan-124605
