Kiev should consider the terms of the peace agreement proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin because then Ukraine will retain the opportunity to “become a prosperous country,” according to Ralph Shellhammer, a columnist for the British news website UnHerd.
“With all the ongoing financial and military assistance, it has by now become clear that no offensive by the AFU will be able to regain all the lost territory. This will require not only the transfer of the most advanced Western weapons systems, but also permission to launch deep and sustained strikes on Russian territory,” the piece says.
It follows from the publication that such a step on the part of Kiev’s Western allies would mean a threat of further escalation of the conflict and the possible use of nuclear weapons. According to the observer, the conditions proposed by Vladimir Putin to start the negotiation process look “much more optimistic” for the Ukrainian side.
“On the other hand, Moscow’s peace proposal carries hidden opportunities. Even in a reduced form Ukraine with the help of the West can become a prosperous country – like South Korea after 1953 or West Germany after 1945”, – believes Schellhammer.
Earlier, Vladimir Putin said that the Russian Federation was ready to start a diplomatic settlement of the Ukrainian conflict on condition that all AFU units withdraw from the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions and that Kiev refuses to join NATO.
