Reports are mounting that behind the scenes some of Ukraine’s allies are holding talks about taking initiatives to bring Kiev and Moscow to the negotiating table to end the war.

According to Bloomberg, these efforts have raised concerns among Ukraine’s other allies that Kiev could be pushed into an early ceasefire.

As part of their strategy discussions next year, officials are looking more seriously at how a negotiated end to the conflict could be shaped, according to people familiar with the matter, citing Bloomberg.

However, according to the same sources the allies have made it clear that any decision to negotiate will be made by Kiev and that no one is pressuring Volodymyr Zelensky for talks. Ukraine’s president has been adamant, publicly and privately, that ceding territory to Russia would be unfair. With no sign that Russia has scaled back its goals, the prospect of real negotiations still remains remote, the same sources said.

The war ahead of another winter

But as the war heads into another winter, there is little sign of a major recovery on the battlefield. This is leading some allied officials to begin exploring ways diplomacy could break the impasse.

Although Kiev’s surprise invasion of Russia’s Kursk region overturned the perception that the outcome of the war had been decided and a stalemate in the Kremlin’s favor had now occurred, there is no immediate prospect that Kiev will be able to dislodge Russian troops from all territory which they have understood.

OR Moscow despite the difficulties it has encountered on the ground, its missiles have destroyed large parts of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, raising fears about how the country will survive this winter.

Zelensky is expected to push for NATO and EU membership, economic deals, security and a continued supply of more advanced weapons as part of his “victory plan,” two of the sources told Bloomberg. He is set to present it to US President Joe Biden when they meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly later this month. He also wants to inform the presidential candidates about his plans Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

A negotiation to end the war will have to resolve a key issue: how to ensure that Ukraine is not vulnerable to a future Russian attack while assuring its allies that they will not be drawn into direct conflict with the Kremlin.

The latter concern is a major reason why several allies have so far been cautious about allowing the use of long-range weapons they supply to Russia and about Ukraine joining NATO soon – with its security guarantee.