“Unfortunately, Putin will end up keeping 20 percent of Ukraine” – ex-NATO admiral

Former NATO admiral James Stavridis has predicted that Russia would keep 20 percent of Ukraine as part of a peace deal. In an interview with CNN, Stavridis added that if US President-elect Donald Trump can end the war within 24 hours, as he said, “I will be the first to vote for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.” “ “.

“I hope, and I think, that he puts pressure on both sides to get them to the negotiating table and it will end something like the end of the Korean War,” Stavridis predicted. “That is, Putin, unfortunately – but in a real world – will end up owning about 20 percent of Ukraine, the part he currently holds, but the rest of Ukraine, the 80 percent, all those resources and the vast majority of the population .” “They remain democratic and free,” he added.

As CNN anchor Michael Smerconish pointed out, James Stavridis was considered to be Democrat Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016, but was also considered to take over as secretary of state in Republican Donald Trump’s cabinet during his first term. In addition, Russia imposed sanctions on Stavridis in November 2022 due to his critical stance towards the Kremlin.

Ukraine: Joining NATO in three to five years – “not the worst result in the world”

Stavridis estimated that under a peace deal with Russia, Ukraine could also find a “path into NATO, probably in three to five years, realistically.” “That wouldn’t be the worst outcome in the world,” he said. A Wall Street Journal report suggests that Trump’s team is considering delaying Ukraine’s NATO membership for at least 20 years in return for additional military aid to prevent a new Russian attack.

Under this plan, the front line would essentially be frozen and both sides would agree to a roughly 1,300-kilometer-long demilitarized zone. It is still unclear who would monitor this area. According to Stavridis, a peace agreement would likely include “some kind of demilitarized zone between the two parties, just like in Korea.” And perhaps it could, for example, B. be patrolled by NATO soldiers – not by US soldiers, but by European soldiers.”

Kyiv will prepare meetings between Zelensky and Trump

On Saturday, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said his country had begun preparations for a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President-elect Donald Trump. However, Sybiha did not give any details at a joint press conference with EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell – neither about a time frame nor about the location of a possible meeting. “The dialogue between Trump and Zelensky has already been established,” he said, referring to the two politicians’ most recent telephone conversation a few days ago. “We are open to further collaboration.”

Trump and Zelensky last met in New York at the end of September on the sidelines of the American president’s trip to the United States. Trump’s election victory has global consequences, Sybiha emphasized on Saturday. Ukraine hopes this will give it an opportunity to accelerate the path to a just peace.

For ex-NATO Admiral Stavridis, both the Ukrainians and the Russians should be prepared to make concessions. Referring to Ukraine’s possible NATO or EU accession, he said: “Putin will hate this part, just like the Ukrainians hate the part about Putin keeping 20 percent of their land.” But that is a matter of negotiation. An invitation to join NATO is the most important part of the Ukrainian president’s recently presented “victory plan,” although he has admitted that joining before the end of the war would be “impossible.” Ukraine’s “neutrality” was one of the conditions that Russia set for a peaceful solution.