What each side wants from a peace deal
EPAThe future of Ukraine is the focus of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), just days after the shocking call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, they agreed to start negotiations to end the Ukrainian war.
Trump described the call as “great” earlier this week, saying “there is a great possibility to end this terrible, very bloody war.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that his country must not be excluded from any peace negotiations.
European allies seem surprised by the nature of the appeal, with French President Emmanuel Macron warning that any peace deal involving succumbing to Russia will be “a serious end for everyone.”
It is not clear when peace talks will begin, but security negotiations and Ukraine’s future in NATO will be key topics in discussions when they do problems on their territory. This is a different position.
What territory has Ukraine lost and will it be returned?
Moscow currently controls one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, mainly in the south and east.
After the overthrow of Ukraine’s pro-Russian president in 2014, Russia annexed the Black Sea Peninsula of Crimea and supported pro-Russian separatists in bloody battles in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
After the full Russian invasion, the conflict broke out about three years ago.
Moscow’s attempt to seize the capital of Kiev was thwarted, but Russian troops have since gradually expanded their territorial control, mainly in the East.
Ukrainian forces supported by weapons and equipment from the United States and European allies made these advances as difficult as possible, sometimes able to reoccupy the territory and launch a counterattack on western Russia.
Ukraine has always insisted that any peace agreement must include the entire withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and return to the border before 2014, including Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.
“We will never recognize the occupied territory as Russians,” Zelensky said at a press conference during the MSC.
Russia, on the other hand, has officially annexed four regions of Eastern Ukraine and hopes that they will be recognized as part of Russia – although there is no control over all territories in these regions.
During the interview With the GuardianZelensky suggested that as part of the peace agreement, the territory that Ukraine seized in the Kursk region in western Russia could be exchanged for Ukraine’s Russian territory. However, the Kremlin quickly ruled it out.
Until recently, Ukraine’s Western allies Standing at Zelensky’s location All Ukraines, including Crimea, should be returned.
But new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said at a February summit that achieving the borders before 2014 is an “unrealistic goal.”
“Surviving this fantasy goal will only prolong the war and cause more pain,” he said.
Can Ukraine become a member of NATO?
Ukraine wants to join NATO, believing that the Western military alliance (where members promise to defend each other if attacked) is the best way to ensure its safety.
For Kiev, Russia’s full invasion proves that only NATO membership can guarantee its safety.
However, Russia has been opposed to the idea of Ukraine becoming a member because they fear it would bring NATO forces too close to its borders.
When Zelensky arrived at the MSC, he said Ukraine trusted NATO’s security assurance, then added that he believed membership would be “the cheapest option for all”.
He added that Europe needs to unite to protect itself.
NATO members have always believed that Ukraine should become a NATO member in the future, and British Prime Minister Sir Kyle Stamer told Zelensky that the country is on an “irreversible path” of membership.
But these guarantees now look less solid after the U.S. Secretary of Defense underestimated the possibility of NATO membership in any peaceful settlement.
“The United States does not consider NATO’s Ukrainian members to be a realistic result of a negotiated solution,” Heggs said.
What are the safety guarantees that can be implemented?
Getty ImagesZelensky said previous discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump were “absolutely not enough to make a peace plan.”
He said on his arrival at the MSC that the signals from the United States were “strong”, but “change”.
Hegseth claimed that Trump was “one person in the world” able to unite both sides and insisted that our attempt to negotiate peace “is certainly not betrayal” Ukrainian soldiers fighting Ukrainian soldiers invading Russian troops.
Meanwhile, the U.S. vice president said that if Russia fails to negotiate a peace agreement in good faith, sending troops to Ukraine is “still at the table.”
JD Vance tells The Tell the Wall Street Journal.
Back in October, Zelensky A victory plan was developed for the Ukrainian parliamentwhich includes key points such as NATO membership, the protection of critical natural resources by the United States and the EU, and the containment of Russia through a non-nuclear strategic deterrence suite deployed on Ukrainian soil.
At the time, U.S. President Joe Biden was briefed about the program – and so were presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
It is unclear whether any part of Zelensky’s plan will be brought into peace talks, but Hesgeth warned that there will be no U.S. troops on the ground in any future security arrangements.
Zelensky told The Guardian that he did not think there would be no guarantee of safety without our participation.
British Defense Source Quote In the Times newspaper Claims that the United States can provide some form of air defense – Probably Patriot missiles – In Ukrainian peacekeeping forces in exchange for minerals.
