Unlike the Serb separatists in Croatia, the Russian separatists have the direct support of Moscow in Ukraine.
In my opinion, Ukrainians and Russians shouldn’t share a state after this war. They shouldn’t share alliances either.
I won’t be surprised if the Ukraine government trades land for guarantee NATO membership and the end of Moscow interfering in Ukraine affairs. Russia government can’t push Ukraine into neutrality and Ukraine government can’t push Russia out of their land.
The most valuable thing in any negotiation is Ukraine’s total sovereignty and that includes the ability to join NATO whenever Ukraine and NATO see fit. If I was Zelensky, I would be willing to formally cede certain territory to ensure an end to the war and a path into NATO, likely forever securing Ukrainians’ freedom from Russia. The problem is it’s Ukraine’s ability to join NATO that’s most valuable to Russia, not the territories Russia currently occupy. The whole conflict revolves around Ukraine eventually joining NATO and forever leaving the Russian orbit. An independent Ukraine on the path to NATO membership is a strategic defeat for Russia. But at the very least Putin can do a victory lap for his domestic audience over securing its annexations of eastern Russian-speaking lands.
3 comments
Little too late for that
No Operation Storm this war.
Unlike the Serb separatists in Croatia, the Russian separatists have the direct support of Moscow in Ukraine.
In my opinion, Ukrainians and Russians shouldn’t share a state after this war. They shouldn’t share alliances either.
I won’t be surprised if the Ukraine government trades land for guarantee NATO membership and the end of Moscow interfering in Ukraine affairs. Russia government can’t push Ukraine into neutrality and Ukraine government can’t push Russia out of their land.
The most valuable thing in any negotiation is Ukraine’s total sovereignty and that includes the ability to join NATO whenever Ukraine and NATO see fit. If I was Zelensky, I would be willing to formally cede certain territory to ensure an end to the war and a path into NATO, likely forever securing Ukrainians’ freedom from Russia. The problem is it’s Ukraine’s ability to join NATO that’s most valuable to Russia, not the territories Russia currently occupy. The whole conflict revolves around Ukraine eventually joining NATO and forever leaving the Russian orbit. An independent Ukraine on the path to NATO membership is a strategic defeat for Russia. But at the very least Putin can do a victory lap for his domestic audience over securing its annexations of eastern Russian-speaking lands.