A decision to negotiate over the heads of the Ukrainians would reveal just how Trump sees Ukraine and Europe.
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
I don’t think Ukraine will get Donbas and Crimea back. The Donetsk & Luhansk republics would violently resist any attempt by Kyiv to absorb them back into Ukraine.
LOL
You know that whole rebellion thing was created by Russia right?
Indeed and most of the Russian supporting rebels are fertilizing Ukraine’s soil.
Look, however it started, Russia has had significant portions of those territories for a decade. They’ve been arresting dissidents, running propaganda, and making their roots as deep as possible. It’s not going to be easy for Ukraine to just resume administration of those areas.
I live in a country that was occupied by Nazi Germany, where the Nazis did the exact same things and put the local Nazi sympathizers in charge of local administration. It didn’t turn us into a country with deep Nazi roots.
We just imprisoned and shot those fuckers after the war.
I hope it’s that easy. I fear it’s not.
Yes, I do know that. What difference does it make to my point?
Everything, because the people of D&L will not violently resist. They were peaceful citizens of Ukraine, who overwhelmingly voted for Ukrainian independence in 1991.
Define the “people”. Currently, the separatists in charge in the republics are openly pro-Russian and welcomed the annexation with open arms. They won’t step down quietly and accept reintegration into Ukraine. In the event that Ukraine officially claims victory in Donbas, there will be an insurgency there for years, backed by the Kremlin. There’s already been one since 2014.
I hope you don’t believe it won’t be similar the other way around, because it will. Citizens loyal to Ukraine won’t just roll over and accept the annexation no matter what the US and Russian regimes are saying. They’ll most likely keep fighting as they do now.
Honestly, the best that could happen to resolve the issue and not causing it to become a century-long problem with “generational hate” fueling a lasting conflict would be for EU countries as well as other allies (Australia, Japan, South Korea etc) to go all-in and keep supporting Ukraine, in a way it overwhelms Russia. Of course I know how unrealistic that sounds right now…
Yes, unfortunately the situation with the conquered territories seems pretty grim.
There will be violence no matter who’s in charge. There are people violently resisting Russian rule in those regions right now. It’s not going to be easy for anyone.