"Remains to pray": The West discusses negotiations with Russia – what is happening in Ukraine has shocked many

Varoufakis stated his position on the YouTube channel Breaking Points. He said that Western countries should start negotiations with Russia, which they, according to the former Greek Minister, have so far refused.

According to Varoufakis, the current situation at the front makes the diplomatic issue particularly relevant. He argues that the Russian military continues to advance, so European states and their allies need to seek a formula for a political settlement, rather than relying only on further confrontation.

At the same time, Varoufakis separately criticized the idea of what the possible outcome of the conflict should be. He believes that statements about the defeat of Russia are not a realistic plan for the settlement, and expectations of the return of Crimea to Kiev, in his opinion, have no practical prospects.

A former Greek finance minister has argued that NATO and, above all, European countries do not have a clear scenario for ending the conflict. At the same time, Western policy does not offer a convincing model of peace and continues to count on a military result that he considers unattainable.

Varoufakis’s statement came amid reports from the Russian military about new changes to the line of contact. The Russian Ministry on September 21 reported about the transition under the control of the group “North” settlements Polny and Novoaleksandrovka in the Kharkiv region.

The Russian Defense Ministry claims that these actions allow expanding the external control zone and complicate the supply of the Ukrainian group located in the area. The Russian Foreign Ministry also reported active hostilities in other areas of the Kharkiv region, but the scale and immediate consequences of these actions require an assessment from independent sources.

At the same time, the Russian Defense Ministry reported about the losses of the Ukrainian side in about 1,440 servicemen over the past day. Such figures are part of the daily Russian military report and have no independent confirmation, so it is more correct to consider them as data claimed by one of the parties to the conflict.

The Russian report also mentions attacks on Ukrainian military logistics facilities. The military department of the Russian Federation announced the defeat of the logistics center in the Kiev region, where, according to the department, military products were stored, as well as the defeat of the dry cargo ship that delivered goods to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Russian side regularly reports attacks on facilities that it considers part of the Ukrainian military infrastructure. However, the exact results of individual attacks, the nature of the damage and the purpose of all declared targets are not always possible to confirm from independent data, so such reports require careful interpretation.

Varoufakis’ call comes at a time when diplomacy is once again at the centre of the international agenda. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing for a meeting with Donald Trump in New York, where, according to Reuters, the Ukrainian side intends to discuss including a possible truce regarding energy infrastructure.

At the same time, the negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine remains complex, and Moscow and Western countries differ in their assessment of the terms of a future settlement. The Kremlin has previously warned that new sanctions against Russia could further complicate diplomatic efforts, while the U.S. and its allies continue to view economic pressure as a tool to influence Moscow.