Peace Will Not Come to Europe’s War Why Ukraine’s New President Zelensky will be Unable to Improve Relations with Russia

Abstract

Ukraine’s new President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised to continue reforms, fight corruption, continue Ukraine’s European integration and bring peace to the Donbas. He could be successful in the first three goals, but the latter will elude him. The president will have to share power with parliament, and he will face domestic struggle with a large number of war veterans and active civil society and nationalist groups. In the medium term, the remaining stalemate in Ukrainian-Russian relations will likely have four consequences.