Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would like to end the war with Russia next year through “diplomatic means” as both countries prepare for President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
In an interview with the Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne, Zelenskyy said he is certain that the war will end “sooner” than it otherwise would have once Mr. Trump becomes president.
The prospect of Trump returning to power in the United States next year has raised questions about the future of the conflict, as the Republican has been critical of U.S. military aid to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine “must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means.”
I don’t think he’s being naive, he knows Trump is going to hang him out to dry, and he can’t win without ongoing US support. So if he’s come to the conclusion that defeat is inevitable, or at least that victory is impossible, then it makes sense to start posturing to that effect, to try to get the best outcome possible later at the negotiating table.
Putin already has his land corridor to Crimea, so why does he fight on? Simply, he doesn’t really have a lasting victory unless he achieves regime change in Kyiv. But the idea that the Russian army will simply walk over half the country, install a puppet leader and then go home and everything will be fine is beyond absurd. A defeated occupied Ukraine will be Chechnya x 100 for Russia. Endless droves of dead Russian soldiers succumbing to guerrilla attacks for decades to come.
Georgia is deep in with the EU, has talked about NATO before. Obvs Turkey is EU aligned. As would West Ukraine if any kind of peace . Putin’s lost already. His deep sea port on crimea is already surrounded by countries that align with the EU, its legal norms, plus the eventual option of NATO membership.
Well, I suppose bending over for a couple of dictators to fuck you (but more importantly, your people, and then who ever those two decide to invade next) is a kind of posture… 🙄