MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is unlikely to engage in peace talks with Russia, because his Western curators will never permit him, Vitaly Ganchev, the head of the Kharkov Region's civil-military administration, has told TASS in an interview.

"I think he won’t [negotiate]. First of all, they are not interested in a ceasefire. Their loud declarations of readiness for peace talks are nothing but political rhetoric. But they will keep putting forward demands that the Russian government and the Russian society will never accept," he said.

"Only Russia’s defeat is acceptable for them. Therefore, they will not agree to negotiate on our terms. I’m 100% sure of it. Besides, Zelensky is not the one who decides on the matter. They will simply not be allowed to negotiate. Their Western curators apparently need a protracted conflict," Ganchev added.