Since the beginning of the war Ukraine maintains that the condition for any peace negotiations is the withdrawal of Russian troops from the country. But the decline in Western resources and the advances Russia on the front should encourage Kyiv do greater realism – The Wall Street Journal wrote on Wednesday.
War in Ukraine. Are Kiev's demands on Moscow excessive?
“One of the goals of the visit of the heads of diplomacy USA i United Kingdom in Kiev on Wednesday there is a discussion on how to define what a victory for Ukraine would be and what kind of help it will need to achieve it,” the daily pointed out. This would help Western leaders seek support among voters to maintain aid for Kiev.
“The West still supports Ukraine's goal of regaining all of its territory. But some European diplomats say Kiev should formulate military goals and a strategy 'in a more pragmatic way' ” – writes WSJ. A complete victory for Kiev would require aid worth “hundreds of billions of dollars”, which is far beyond the capabilities of Europe and the US.
The newspaper indicates that the visit to Kiev comes at a time weakening support in the West for further aid to Ukrainethe prospect of a difficult winter, and Russia's “slow but costly” progress on the front. In addition, Russia is to recruit 400,000 new soldiers this year. It can also count on help from Iran, North Korea i Chinwhich supply components needed to expand Russian armaments.
Ukraine's offensive on Kursk did not achieve the intended goal of forcing the Russians to withdraw part of their troops from the front – writes WSJ. In the opinion quoted by the daily Erica Greenathink-tank researcher Carnegie Endowment for Democracythe operation was helpful because it “showed that (Ukraine) can still fight and make surprises,” but at the same time it raised concerns in the West that in the long term the move could weaken Kiev's ability to defend itself.
The daily notes that although the attack on Kursk showed Ukraine's “boldness”, Volodymyr Zelensky is making adjustments to its approach to war. For a few months now Kyiv shows greater willingness to negotiate. In the summer, Kyiv considered talks with Moscow on limiting attacks on energy infrastructure, and during the upcoming visit to Washington Ukrainian president wants to discuss his idea for ending the war, which he called “Ukraine's Victory Plan”.
WSJ points out that according to polls the number of Ukrainians ready for peace negotiations is growingbut still more than half of the population supports fighting until Ukraine regains all of its territory. “Admitting that the fighting should end while Russia still controls (part of) Ukrainian territory would be a huge political risk for Zelensky. (…) This is political suicide and cannot happen,” the political analyst was quoted as saying Ołeksija Kowżuna WSJ.
Volodymyr Zelensky has developed his own peace plan
Last Saturday during Thea Forum w Cernobbio we Italy Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he has developed his own peace plan that could lead to an end to the war.
As the Ukrainian president pointed out, Ukraine's allies have an influence on some of the factors included in the plan. – There are certain points that depend on America – he said. Zelensky added that no one has yet become familiar with his idea. The first to learn about it is the current president of the USA. Joe Biden. This month, the leader also plans to introduce it to candidates for office: Wrong Harris i Donald Trump.
– We want guarantees. It's not just about weapons, but also about important global issues – said the Ukrainian president, emphasizing that the citizens of his country must know what situation they will find themselves in after the end of hostilities.
Zelensky did not reveal the details of the plan, but mentioned the need to establish a specific defense package. “If we get it, it will be a strong deterrent against Russia and we will be able to end the war on diplomatic terms,” he said.
Russia still open to negotiations?
Before The Kremlinvia Dmitri Pieskow declared that by attacking Kursk region, Ukraine had ruined all chances for a peaceful end to the conflict. – The subject of negotiations at the moment practically non-existent – the spokesman said Vladimir Putin.
At the same time, last Thursday during a speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok Russian president said he was open to peace talks.
– Are we ready to negotiate? We have never denied this. But not on the basis of some fleeting demands, but on the basis of those documents that were agreed and actually initialed in in Istanbul – Putin said.
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