Forcing Ukraine to negotiate with russia before regaining an advantage on the battlefield would be a catastrophic mistake, The Telegraph reports, citing officials in Kyiv.
Fearing that a new U.S. administration might reduce military aid if Kyiv refuses negotiations, Volodymyr Zelensky is striving to prove that Ukraine needs time and support to escalate its campaign within russia.
Trump's statements about an imminent end to the war have raised concerns in Kyiv, where officials believe that rushing into negotiations would benefit putin.
"There can be no simple and quick solutions in this situation. Control over the initiative must remain with us, not shift to russia", - emphasized Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President.
Ukraine is also trying to convince Trump's team that russia's goal is "not so much the capture of Ukrainian territory as the redistribution of influence", meaning that putin's ultimate objective is to undermine Western influence.
While Kyiv is cautiously optimistic about U.S. support, officials are preparing for the possibility of negotiating from a weakened position if Washington insists on a swift resolution to the conflict, the publication notes.