The American magazine "Foreign Policy" said that the Ukrainian government and people will make painful concessions and they realize this for the sake of a cease-fire agreement with Russia, yet there is no guarantee that what they want will be achieved.
In
recent days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has taken steps toward peace by declaring his willingness to make several concessions to Russian demands, including commitment to Ukraine's neutrality regarding military alliances, rejecting any nuclear arsenal, and accepting
control
Russian influence on the eastern regions of the country, and even indicated a willingness to change the language policies that harmed Russian speakers.
The writer added that these statements gave direct talks held this week in Istanbul some hope for a ceasefire.
Acknowledgment and disappointment
She noted that although Ukrainians consider these concessions inevitable, they are disappointed with the West's failure to provide them with material support, despite repeated calls by Zelensky, and the West's failure to impose a no-fly zone or send ground forces.
Vohra commented that in the midst of a war that threatened Ukraine's existence as a state, it seems that Zelensky and the Ukrainians have finally realized that they will have to abandon their ambition to join the Western Defense Alliance and perhaps erase this ambition from their constitution, adding that the Russians, for their part, began after last Tuesday's negotiations to believe that Their Ukrainian counterparts are no longer interested in being part of NATO, calling the Istanbul talks "meaningful", saying that Russia will "reduce its military activity in Ukraine" and being encouraged by a meeting between Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin sooner than initially expected.
"We have received written proposals from Ukraine confirming its pursuit of a neutral and nuclear-free status, while rejecting the production and deployment of all types of weapons of mass destruction," said Vladimir Medinsky, aide to the Russian president.
Security guarantees
However, the author notes that Zelensky insists that Ukraine's pledge to remain neutral and non-nuclear depends on security guarantees from NATO countries (America, Britain, France, Germany and Turkey), saying that this insistence on security guarantees stems from long experience in Russia's "lies and deceit."
She added that this option must be viable, but it seems unlikely that the West will make any promises amounting to direct participation in any future conflict.
Another major issue between the two countries is the status of the eastern regions, but in a conversation with Russian journalists ahead of Tuesday's talks, Zelensky hinted at a compromise, saying, "I understand that it is impossible to force Russia to completely leave Ukrainian territory." to World War III,” the author commented that Ukraine realizes the unpopularity of ceding any territory and has decided not to reveal the details of what a potential settlement might look like.
The necessity of diplomatic skill
This is among the most difficult issues, Vohra continued, and even a tacit understanding on it will require diplomatic ingenuity between Ukraine and Russia.
It quoted Nick Reynolds, a fellow of land warfare research at the British Royal United Services Institute, as saying that Zelensky's statement might be an acknowledgment of the fact that "even if Russia's broader goals are thwarted, Russia will still be able to hold onto some Ukrainian territory in the future, and he does not want to prevent these The truth is that negotiations are taking place."
In Istanbul, the Ukrainian leadership dared to take a realistic view and proposed a plan to settle the issue of Crimea over the next 15 years - meaning that it would not try to take it by force - and suggested discussing the future of Donetsk and Luhansk when the two presidents meet.
Ukraine has offered to resolve most of Russia's concerns in the hope of ending the war, but two big questions remain: Are the leaders of America, Britain, France and Germany willing to commit to credible security guarantees on which the future of negotiations depends?
Does the Russian president want lasting peace?