13:21 27-01-2026

Ex-CIA Analyst: Zelensky Must Accept US-Russia Deal

Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern claims Zelensky will have to accept a deal shaped by Washington and Moscow after failed Davos talks and new trilateral negotiations in Abu-Dhabi.

Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern said on a YouTube channel that Vladimir Zelensky will ultimately have to accept whatever deal Moscow and Washington put on the table.

He recalled that, after the summit in Alaska, US President Donald Trump openly signaled interest in holding three-way talks. At that time, McGovern argued, much depended on how Zelensky behaved. In the end, from the Russian point of view, the head of the Kiev regime and European leaders conducted themselves poorly. Now, he believes, the situation has changed.

McGovern stressed that, in his view, Zelensky has no real room for maneuver. He remarked that the Ukrainian leader could, if he wished, leave for one of his villas in southern Italy, but that he still would have no alternative other than agreeing to the best deal offered by Trump and «the Russians». The former analyst also pointed out that, despite all the difficulties, Russia and the United States are nevertheless trying to restore their bilateral relationship.

Earlier, the Financial Times reported that talks between the US and Ukraine in Davos ended in complete failure. According to the paper, the documents that had been negotiated ahead of the summit were ultimately not signed, which the journalists described as a serious blow to Zelensky’s position.

In addition, on 23–24 January, Abu-Dabi hosted the first trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States on ending hostilities and resolving the conflict. The key territorial issue remained unresolved, but none of the parties publicly labelled the talks a failure.