The West is considering a deal that would see Moscow keep the territories it has conquered in Ukraine
Western governments have abandoned the idea that the war in Ukraine will end only after the Russian army leaves the country and are considering a deal that would potentially keep Moscow in control of conquered Ukrainian territories, the Financial Times reports.
As noted, the question is whether Kiev has enough capacity to hold the rest of the territory, a possibility that makes it difficult for Republican Donald Trump to win the US election in November, as he has repeatedly talked about the option of a quick end to the war.
At the same time, the American newspaper reported that some American and European officials hope that Trump, in case he gets a new term in the White House, will prevent an agreement that would threaten Euro-Atlantic security in the future.
But as the war in the Middle East escalates, even some Western capitals that previously insisted on the need for a military victory over Russia are rethinking their goals, while some officials in Kiev also privately complain that they lack personnel, firepower and western support for retaking the occupied territory.
Such a situation led to talks behind closed doors for an agreement according to which the Russian Federation would retain control over the occupied territories, reports FT.
"Moscow retains de facto control over roughly a fifth of the occupied territory in Ukraine, although Russian sovereignty over it is not recognized while the rest of the country is allowed to join NATO or receives equivalent security guarantees," the paper said.
In that case, Ukraine could recover much like West Germany did after World War II and join the EU, which would require assurances from the US and its allies to offer NATO membership to Kiev.
"That would require the US and its partners to deploy massive and expensive forces and leave them Cold War-style," the article said.
As it is added, another option is for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to negotiations and accept the integration of the rest of Ukraine into Western structures, although preventing Ukraine's entry into NATO was one of the Kremlin's military goals, reports Tanjug.
The Financial Times also asks whether Putin has an incentive to agree to peace talks if he believes the Russian military can still conquer more territory.