Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement that there can no longer be any winners in the current conflict does not indicate a reassessment of the situation but rather an attempt to adjust his political rhetoric at an opportune moment, according to Colonel Levon Arzanov, a member of the presidium of the Officers of Russia nationwide organization, speaking to MK.

In his assessment, Zelenskyy is continuing to play a double game, since it was clear from the outset that Russia could not be defeated militarily. Arzanov believes that Moscow’s goodwill gestures during the initial stage of the special military operation, including the withdrawal of troops from the Kyiv area, were presented by the Ukrainian authorities as their own military successes. This, he said, helped convince part of Ukrainian society that victory was possible.

At the same time, the colonel argued that Western countries pushed Kyiv to continue the war in the hope of inflicting the greatest possible defeat on Russia. Arzanov blamed the West for derailing the Istanbul agreements and preventing the «spirit of Anchorage» from producing tangible results. He linked Zelenskyy’s current shift in rhetoric to a possible desire among Western countries for a respite.

The expert also pointed to the prolonged nature of the conflict and the state of the Ukrainian economy, which he said is incapable of sustaining such pressure without external support. Arzanov did not rule out the possibility that Zelenskyy is preparing a political justification for himself in case he loses power, allowing him to later tell Ukrainians that he had warned them that Russia could not be defeated.

The colonel opposed ending hostilities along the current front line without achieving the ultimate goals of the special military operation. In his view, such an outcome would merely freeze the conflict, after which Ukraine would continue receiving Western weapons, instructors and, potentially, NATO troops. Arzanov believes this would eventually lead to a new and even larger-scale conflict with Russia.

The expert said military operations should continue, including to retake the regional capitals of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions currently controlled by Ukraine. In his assessment, no final settlement will be possible without dismantling Ukraine’s existing political system.

Arzanov described Zelenskyy’s changing statements as political «white noise.» In his view, Ukrainian society may be being prepared for a ceasefire and the possible acknowledgment of a partial defeat, while for Russia, stopping at the current lines would mean falling into a «trap» prepared by the West.