Espreso. Global
OPINION

In search of "truce"

30 September, 2024 Monday
19:20

Today, it is evident that there is a growing desire from various sides to "end this war"

client/title.list_title

This reflects the desire of both the West and Russia. Therefore, in the coming months, overt and covert discussions will intensify regarding the conditions under which the war can and should be ended.

Two recent examples:

  1. Lavrov's statement: “Return the Russian language and the Russian church.”

Why is this so important to the Kremlin? Because at the end of the war, it needs at least something to present to Russians as its victory - "what we fought for." If the question arises afterward, "So what did we fight for?", then Putin is finished, and quite possibly, so is Russia within its current borders. Lavrov's statement is a search for the points of such a "victory."

  1. An article in The Economist, kindly translated by Ukrainian Pravda.

The article begins with a manipulation: Ukraine has neither the people nor the weapons to return to the 1991 borders.

Why is this a manipulation?

Because the number of people needed depends on the ferocity of Russian resistance, which in turn depends on the quantity and quality of weapons available to Ukraine. Both factors are currently being strictly filtered and controlled by the West to prevent Ukraine from having either "too little" or, God forbid, "too much."

So, we write, “Ukraine does not have enough weapons to reach the 1991 borders,” but we read, “Ukraine has not been given enough weapons for this and will not be given.”

Then the main thesis follows: “Give Ukraine NATO membership and much more weaponry than it has now (so it has weapons!), but let it forget about the territories that Russia currently controls.”

This is another attempt to find a formula that will satisfactorily (?) explain "what we fought for" to both Russians and Ukrainians. For the former, it is Ukrainian territory (to preserve the Putin regime and thus the integrity of the Russian Federation), and for the latter, a "consolation prize": NATO membership and some form of guarantee that there will be no further losses of territory. "The wolves are relatively full, and the sheep are relatively safe."

Of course, this is just one proposal among many, and it is far from certain that it will be accepted as a basis. But this confirms the thesis I started with: in the coming months, explicit and implicit discussions on the conditions under which we should attempt to end this war will become more heated. Consequently, there will be a lot of information manipulation surrounding this issue. Our job is not to fall for it.

Source

About the author. Oleksii Panych, philosopher, member of the Ukrainian Centre of PEN International, blogger.

The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.

Tags:
Read also:
  • News
2024, Monday
30 September
21:30
Exclusive
No doubt Ukraine's strike hit its target at Russia's Kotluban arsenal - Defense Express
21:11
Over 14,000 Ukrainian civilians imprisoned by Russia - human rights activists 
21:00
Stoltenberg addresses Ukraine's NATO membership possibility before full territorial control
20:51
Russia shifts oil using shadow fleet tankers in Gulf of Finland - media
20:30
“I like him”: Trump affirms good relationship with Zelenskyy
20:22
Exclusive
Nuclear weapons use would lead to Russia's collapse - Ukrainian diplomat
20:00
Orbán holds talks with China, Brazil to initiate "peace summit" on Ukraine - media
19:42
Exclusive
"It is important to protect home now": story of Ukrainian combat medic Madeleine
18:57
Russian forces launch 80 attacks on Ukrainian position in one day - General Staff
18:35
Ukraine's foreign minister meets with Hungary's counterpart to discuss victory plan
18:12
Russia launches 1,339 Shahed drones in daily attacks on Ukraine in September
17:50
OPINION
Operational pause until mid-October: lessons that President’s Office should learn from Zelenskyy’s U.S. visit
17:30
Updated
Russian troops attack Kherson region, injuring 8 people
17:14
“Reckless nuclear rhetoric”: Stoltenberg responds to Putin's nuclear threats
16:55
Russian army strikes Myrnohrad in Donetsk region, leaving one dead, one wounded
16:33
Putin's spokesman answers if changes to nuclear doctrine lead to weapon use
16:09
Russia uses TOS-1A flamethrower system, guided bombs on Ukrainian-liberated plant in Vovchansk
15:47
Belarus launches another stage of testing aviation and air defense capabilities
15:24
Russia spreads false claims of Ukraine plotting water contamination in Kherson region
15:06
Russia destroys or damages almost 1,000 libraries in Ukraine
14:48
Putin signs decree on drafting 133,000 people into Russian army
14:05
OPINION
New world order is needed, and it won’t come without war
13:43
Exclusive
West doesn't perceive modern Russia as analogous to Nazis - dissident Zissels
13:20
German Foreign Minister Baerbock backs Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian territory
12:59
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha pays working visit to Hungary
12:37
Exclusive
Ukraine to likely unveil significant expansion in Russia's Kursk region this week - Information Resistance
12:16
Russia attacks Ukraine with Shahed drones, missiles: explosions rock Kyiv
11:57
OPINION
To really stop Russia, one must go to war with it
11:36
Exclusive
Rising threats demand preparation to pull back: military expert Zgurets on situation in Vuhledar
11:15
Exclusive
Russian army attempts new major assaults in Kupyansk sector - Achilles Battalion
10:54
153 clashes occur at front over last day, tense situation in Pokrovsk sector - Ukraine's General Staff
10:32
Black transplantologists cut out organs from Ukrainian soldiers: Russia spreads new fake
10:13
Kremlin attempts to hide from public increase in war spending in 2025 - ISW
09:54
Ukrainian guerrillas sabotage railroad in Russia's Kursk region
09:35
Russia loses 1,250 soldiers, 27 artillery systems, 5 tanks in one day of war in Ukraine
2024, Sunday
29 September
19:10
Ukraine's intelligence chief Budanov may resign - media
18:45
Updated
Iranian missiles were stored at destroyed Kotluban arsenal in Russia - Ukraine’s General Staff
18:30
Exclusive
Trump unknowingly put the focus on Ukraine - political scientist Saakyan
18:00
Dozens of drones attack Millerovo airfield in Russia's Rostov region overnight
17:34
Denmark, Ukraine agree weapons sale deal for over €361 million
More news