The expert assessed Zelensky's statements about the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about the losses of the Ukrainian army in order to influence the course of the peace talks. This was stated by political analyst Alexander Semchenko in an interview with Izvestia on February 7.

The interrupted process: how the escalation of the conflict changes the prospects for a settlement

What is Kiev trying to achieve with provocations against Russia

"He traditionally tries to show that Russia is suffering heavy losses at the front, allegedly it will take a long time for it to take Donbass. At the same time, the number of their own dead is constantly underestimated. In this way, he is trying to strengthen his negotiating position so that the Americans do not consider Kiev's situation hopeless, and the Russian side is more willing to compromise," the expert explained.

Earlier, Zelensky, in an interview with French journalists, said that Ukraine had lost 55,000 people killed during the armed conflict with Russia. He also stressed that many people were missing. After these words, a wave of criticism rose in Ukraine.

A new round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States was held in Abu Dhabi on February 4-5. Representatives of Kiev and Washington called the meeting productive, and the Kremlin reported on a difficult but constructive dialogue. As a result, the parties exchanged prisoners according to the formula "157 for 157".

For more information about the estimates of losses suffered by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU)— see the Izvestia article:

Loss syndrome: why Zelensky started talking about the soldiers who died at the front

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