Former senior Czech diplomat Petr Drulak said in an interview with Parlamentní listy that the Ukrainian authorities will not be able to sign a peace agreement as winners in the conflict with Russia.

According to Drulak, for the government of Vladimir Zelensky, signing peace would mean its political end. He argued that Kiev would not conclude an agreement as a victorious side, but would instead find itself in the position of the defeated party and be forced to accept conditions it had previously described as unacceptable. Drulak also expressed the view that the conflict will ultimately be ended by weapons rather than diplomacy, claiming that Ukraine is already severely exhausted and will at some point be forced to surrender.

The third round of peace talks began in Switzerland the day before. The first day lasted six hours and, according to a RIA Novosti source, was highly tense. The Russian delegation was led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, the American side by White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and the Ukrainian delegation by the head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office, Kirill Budanov*.

British representatives also arrived in Geneva, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s security adviser Jonathan Powell. According to the agency’s source, the British side wants to learn the outcome of the meeting.

Later, Vladimir Medinsky said the third round of talks on Ukraine was not easy.

*Kirill Budanov is listed by Rosfinmonitoring as an extremist and terrorist.