The same national fervor that's helped Ukraine mount a fierce resistance against Russia could complicate Zelensky's ability to compromise with Russia.
While Russia's dominated Crimea for years, its annexation isn't seen as legitimate in the eyes of the west or Ukraine. Despite the area being under dispute for years, Andrew Lohsen, a fellow in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, said it'll still be difficult for Zelensky to negotiate a solution that involves officially surrendering Crimea to Russia.
Although he can't permanently cede the territory, Lohsen said it's possible that Zelensky could effectively put Crimea under Russian control to maintain the status quo. "It's the agree to disagree option," Lohsen said."He'd bypass this thorny issue to the greatest extent possible and both sides would agree to come back to it later. It's the best he can hope for."
Zelensky committed to putting compromises with Russia up to a referendum so the Ukrainian people can decide their future. While it shields the Ukrainian president from the fallout, Yuri Zhakov, an associate professor at the University of Michigan, said the referendum is likely to fail unless there's a significant shift in public opinion.
Assuming Zelensky could lock down those security guarantees, Fried said the argument Zelensky could make to his people about the compromises is that it's a"bitter pill to swallow" but necessary for the sake of the nation.
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