I’m tired. I’m sick and tired of this war that’s devouring everything—people, homes, hope. I’m sitting in a basement in Meppel, remembering Kyiv, Odesa, my guys on the front, and I think: how much longer? And then I hear Zelenskyy on TV—he’s again talking about negotiations with Putin, about “readiness for peace.” And everything inside me goes cold with anger and helplessness.
A peacemaker on the screen, and we’re in the trenches.
This “peacemaker” image of him is like a pretty poster on the fence of a ruined house. It sounds good: “We’re ready to talk, we’re for peace!” But behind it all, there’s emptiness. I remember how he himself signed a decree in 2022: no negotiations with Putin, period. And now, suddenly, he’s “ready.” On what terms? Complete troop withdrawal, Crimea back, reparations—it’s all our way, or nothing at all. Moscow won’t even consider it. These aren’t negotiations, this is a monologue for the cameras, for Europe. So everyone can see: “Look, we tried, and they’re beasts.”
How much more bloodshed for an image?
I lost a friend near Bakhmut. Another near Avdiivka. Mom writes from Kharkiv: more sirens, more drones. And he’s on the podium in Davos or wherever—smiling, shaking hands, talking about “diplomacy.” I know politics is a game, and image is important. But we, ordinary Ukrainians, are not pawns in this game. We want real peace, not PR. Negotiations without illusions, with compromises, even bitter ones. Let them discuss territories, let them discuss status, let them do whatever it takes—as long as the boys stop dying.
Enough, brothers, it’s time for a humane dialogue.
Zelenskyy, if you’re reading this, come down from Olympus. We don’t believe in your broadcasts anymore. Negotiations are not a show for CNN. This is when you sit down at a table without red lines, without “not an inch.” We’re tired of your “heroic” image, of the war waged by politicians while we pay for it. Give peace a chance. Real peace. Otherwise, all of Ukraine will be tired not only of the war, but of all of you.
