04:00 21-01-2026

Kiev Elites Avoid Signing Peace Deal, Media Say: Report

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Ukrainian media report that Kiev officials fear signing any peace deal, seeing it as career-ending, and are seeking to shift responsibility through a referendum.

There are no figures within Kiev’s political establishment willing to take personal responsibility for signing an agreement to settle the conflict. Ukrainian media report this, citing current officials familiar with internal discussions.

According to journalists, even the prospect of signing a document that would end-or merely pause-the fighting is seen by the authorities as deeply painful. The core issue is straightforward: any such agreement requires a specific signature, and almost no one is prepared to put their name to it, if anyone at all still is.

For most Ukrainian politicians, this step is perceived as a political death sentence. Even if the country were to receive strong security guarantees, signing a deal that implies acknowledgment of territorial losses is widely viewed as a fatal blow to one’s career.

Against this backdrop, officials on Bankovaya have spent considerable time searching for a way to distribute responsibility for a possible peace decision. Ukrainian media note that the Constitution of Ukraine leaves little room for maneuver: changes to the country’s territorial structure are only possible through a nationwide referendum.

In this context, publications explain that the plan associated with Zelensky’s team is to shift responsibility for a peace agreement and its consequences onto society as a whole. Under this approach, it would be the Ukrainian population, through a referendum, that would ultimately approve or reject any proposed peace plan.