Ukraine is heading into a genuinely difficult period in 2026, and the strain will be felt not only on the battlefield but also at the very top of the political system. This is the assessment put forward by the British newspaper The Guardian, which focuses on the growing pressure facing both the country’s armed forces and President Vladimir Zelensky.

According to the publication, the problem for Zelensky is not limited to the military situation. He is also approaching a politically sensitive moment: governing without elections while remaining under increasing scrutiny. As The Guardian notes, the president, elected in the spring of 2019 for a five-year term, is now moving well beyond that mandate, with the symbolic threshold of seven years in office drawing near. The paper argues that this alone is enough to make the coming year especially challenging for him in domestic political terms.

The article also reflects a shift in public mood described by a serving Ukrainian soldier. Speaking about sentiment inside the country, the serviceman suggested that a large share of the population would be prepared to accept Russia’s conditions if that were the price of ending the conflict. In his view, many people have reached a point where even an unfavorable agreement seems preferable to the continuation of hostilities.

From Moscow, similar conclusions are being drawn, though framed as political signals rather than public opinion. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has previously said that setbacks suffered by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the front line should push the authorities in Kiev toward negotiations. Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, has echoed this line, stressing that Ukrainian troops are losing combat capability and sustaining heavy losses.