The end of the war is significant not just as the conclusion of the active phase of the conflict, but under conditions that are acceptable, primarily for Ukraine and also for its partners. To achieve this, we must currently work together to stop Putin and seize the strategic initiative. This opinion was expressed by Ukrainian diplomat and former ambassador to the USA and France, Oleg Shamshur, during a telethon.
"The end of the war is important not just as the cessation of active hostilities, but as a conclusion of the war on terms that, while not ideal for us, are at least acceptable for Ukraine and its partners. The nature of these terms, in my view, depends primarily on whether we can collectively stop Putin," Shamshur emphasized.
He added that the key issue is to halt Putin's advance and seize the strategic initiative.
"This will create conditions or at least give us hope that during negotiations, if they happen, we can conclude them on terms acceptable to Ukraine. Terms that are not humiliating for us or for our partners," the diplomat stressed.
According to Shamshur, it is still difficult to determine the conditions under which we could receive peacekeeping missions on Ukrainian territory. He believes that if we are talking about peacekeeping forces, it is presumably within the framework of the still not fully formed peace plan for Ukraine proposed by Donald Trump. He noted:
"In other words, it concerns the establishment of a demilitarized zone. To me, this is still a very abstract and unclear concept."
The diplomat added that if we analyze all possible modalities of peacekeeping forces, we must assume that the peacekeepers should be prepared to counter Russian provocations and a potential new offensive from Russia.
"And our partners need to ask themselves if they are ready for this? So that it’s not just a figure of some beautiful statements. Moreover, as we see, there are initial statements followed by other explanations that effectively nullify those statements. If we talk about a useful role, it should be absolutely concrete - to repel attacks and make further advances by Russian aggressors impossible," Shamshur emphasized.
According to the diplomat, Putin is sending signals that he is only willing to negotiate with the United States. Here, it is crucial to establish what role Ukraine will play to uphold the principle of "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine." Shamshur concluded:
"It is very important that we are not imposed upon and forced to end the war on terms that do not align with our national interests."
When and How Will the War in Ukraine End - Opinions
As reported by UNIAN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group stated that he is doing everything possible to ensure a dignified end to the war by 2025. The head of state emphasized that this is a common desire of Ukrainians, Europeans, Americans, and all "our global partners."
Bloomberg reports that in the near future, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, will visit Ukraine, with plans to discuss the possibility of deploying international peacekeeping forces in Ukraine after the war ends. Journalistic sources indicate that Prime Minister Starmer supports French President Macron's idea of placing peacekeepers in Ukraine.
It was also reported that elected U.S. President Donald Trump announced preparations for a meeting with Putin to end the war in Ukraine. However, the politician did not specify a date for when it might take place.