As long promised, Vladimir Putin has declared open to discussing a ceasefire deal in Ukraine with Donald Trump.
But he’s going to want Ukraine to give up NATO, committing to neutrality, and — more troublingly — some of its territory.
It seems like Trump is about to make history by swiftly following up on his promise to end the war in Ukraine if re-elected US president.
Kremlin sources says that the parts of Ukraine that Russia considers its property are the following: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. The partition of these would be relatively — but not largely — negotiable.
Right now, Russia controls about 18% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and significant portions of the Donbas region, as well as 70-80% of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
It is said that Russia would probably cede back Kharkiv and Nikolayev.
But Biden’s green light on providing Ukraine with ATACMS missiles has caused a great deal of harm. And it’s highly doubtful that Ukraine’s Zelensky, who has stated that his country will not rest until every last Russian soldier is ejected from its territory, will agree to Russia’s terms. Thus the war will likely go on. Long-lasting implications are deep, and a satisfying solution remains unclear.
