Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that he would be willing to negotiate a ceasefire under certain conditions. The aim would be to pursue the ‘diplomatic’ liberation of the territories occupied by Russia and to place the rest of Ukraine under Nato protection, Zelensky explained in an interview. Commentators debate the significance of this statement.
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Zelensky breaks a taboo
Newsweek Polska is not really surprised by Kyiv’s willingness to give up territory for a peace settlement:
“Territorial integrity has so far been a taboo subject, at least officially, because behind the scenes at various international conferences, Ukrainian diplomats have admitted for several months that Donbas and Crimea cannot be recovered for the time being. What is special now is that Zelensky has for the first time said out loud what his people have only whispered about.”
From hot to cold war
Peace negotiations will be difficult without clear winners and losers, Politika comments:
“A ceasefire will only come about when the belligerent parties realise that they cannot achieve their goals militarily, or that continuing the war will have a more negative impact on their position than a ceasefire. … Regardless of the specific conditions of a truce and international guarantees for both sides, the impression of who ‘came out ahead’ will have a major impact on relations in Europe. But fundamentally a ceasefire will mean that the ‘hot war’ turns into a ‘cold war’ between Russia and the rest of Europe that could last for generations, as was the case in post-war Europe divided by the Iron Curtain.”
Admission of dwindling strength
La Stampa comments:
“Zelensky’s openness to ‘the return of occupied territories by diplomatic means’ marks a turning point in the game of poker with bluffs and bets that has been playing out since the US election. The equation posed by the Ukrainian president is seemingly simple: loss of control of the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia in exchange for Ukraine’s accession to Nato. This is an admission of how difficult it would be for Ukrainians to endure another winter of bombs, darkness and cold and to have to send another generation to the trenches of Donbas. The number of Ukrainians in favour of negotiations has exceeded the 50 percent mark for the first time in nearly three years of war.”
An about-turn for Trump
Večernji list sees Zelensky’s change of course as a concession to Trump:
“Although in his victory plan he rejected the freezing of the conflict and concessions that would affect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of his country, now Zelensky is ready to go along with this. … On the condition that the remaining 82 percent of free Ukrainian territory is protected by Nato against another attack by Putin. It is undoubtedly a major concession and a significant change in the Ukrainian position, carefully considered, but more for future US President Trump and his envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg than for Putin himself.”
Europe faces big decisions
De Volkskrant warns European countries:
“Europe must be prepared to become more directly involved in Ukraine’s security after an agreement. It will have to make major political, financial and moral decisions, the payback for thirty years of omissions in security policy. The danger is great, the stakes are high. But if Ukraine does not emerge from this war sovereign, free and safe for reconstruction, dark times lie ahead for many millions of other Europeans.”