Signs of Peace? By Richard Miller (London)
President Zelensky of the Ukraine, the most corrupt country in Europe has granted that he is willing to hand over territory to Russia to end the war, but the condition is that there is NATO protection. Well, he has NATO protection now, so this must mean the Ukraine joining NATO, which Putin would never agree to. An alternative of NATO member states providing security guarantees could be more acceptable to Putin. It is at least a start to a compromise, which will be the only way forward. Much better than nuclear war.
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is willing to hand over territory to Russia in exchange for NATO protection if it means ending the war.
"If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should take under [the] NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control," Zelensky said through a translator in an interview with Sky News Friday.
"That's what we need to do fast, and then Ukraine can get back the other part of its territory diplomatically."
Zelensky's comments are a stark departure from his previous stance — he vowed to continue fighting until Ukraine was returned to its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea.
In 2022, Putin annexed four regions in Ukraine — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia — calling them "our citizens forever" in a move that was denounced by Western leaders.
Zelensky hinted that the "NATO umbrella" would not be full membership — something Putin has long vehemently rejected — but could mean member states providing individual security guarantees to Ukraine.
Zelensky wouldn't say whether he'd be willing to give up more territory in exchange for full NATO membership.
"No one has offered us to be in NATO with just one part or another part of Ukraine," he said. He added, "[it] could be possible, but no one offered."
He said other countries have offered to broker a cease-fire agreement between the two countries but he seemed skeptical, saying it must guarantee "Putin will not come back."
"We need [NATO protection] very much, otherwise [Putin] will come back," he said. "Otherwise, how are we going to go to a ceasefire? So for us, it's very dangerous."
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end Russia's war with Ukraine — which both Putin and Zelensky said they welcomed.
Zelensky's comments come just a week after a marked shift in the 1,000-day war — when Ukraine fired eight American-supplied longer-range missiles into Russia, several of which struck an ammunition supply location.
"All our partners always look for permission from the United States," Zelensky told Fox News last week. "If the United States doesn't give it, Europe will not give."
Russia retaliated by launching new experimental, hypersonic ballistic missiles on the battlefield, a move that has allowed the Kremlin to advance deeper into Ukraine — prompting NATO officials to host emergency talks this week.
Putin, who has boosted his dwindling troops with an estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers, has also threatened to strike Ukraine's "decision-making centers" in retaliation.
The Kremlin has made huge advances in Ukraine over the past week, taking 90 square miles in the long-bombarded Donetsk region, the fastest clip since the war began nearly three years ago.
Putin had previously claimed the only path to peace would be for Ukraine to surrender all its territory that Russia has laid claim to and renounce its intention to join NATO."
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