Zelensky Rallies Troops in Kupyansk, Says Battlefield Gains Influence Peace Talks

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday shared a video of himself rallying troops at Kupyansk, a city Russia claimed to have taken control of.

In the video, the city limit sign for Kupyansk is visible in the background, with intermittent explosions audible. The Kremlin claimed to have captured the city in late November and invited journalists to visit it alongside Russian troops.

Zelensky rallied troops and said battlefield gains could influence ongoing peace talks.

“Today is the Kupyansk sector, our soldiers who are achieving results for Ukraine here. Many Russians have talked about Kupyansk – we see. I was there, I congratulated the guys,” Zelensky said in his Telegram update alongside the video. “Thank you to every unit, everyone who is fighting here, everyone who is destroying the occupier.”

Zelensky said Ukrainian achievements on the front lines could determine the course of the peace talks.

“Today, it is extremely important to achieve results on the front so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy. This is how it works: All our strong positions inside the country are strong positions in the conversation about ending the war,” he added.

Kupyansk is a city in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region that serves as a major rail hub linking Kharkiv with the Donbas. Captured by Russia in March 2022, it was retaken by Ukrainian forces in September 2022 during a Kharkiv counteroffensive.

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Zelensky’s rare frontline appearance came as the US has pressured Kyiv to concede the Donbas region, with talk of a “demilitarized zone” that, at present, would require Kyiv to withdraw troops and bar Moscow troops from entering.

Kyiv submitted a revised proposal to the US this week, with Zelensky’s aide rejecting rumors that the “demilitarized zone” has been finalized, telling Kyiv Post it is “theoretical” at present.

A recent survey in Ukraine and Kyiv Post interviews find that while Ukrainians are in favor of peace, they are not in favor of a peace that entails the kinds of major concessions stipulated in current iterations of the peace plan – a document put together by Washington and the Kremlin.