“West knows how to count money": Expert explains why Russia might keep occupied Ukrainian territories

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“When we hear talk about different ways the conflict might end — especially the idea of Ukraine joining NATO, similar to what happened with Germany — it signals an effort to directly undermine Putin. Putin has always framed this war as necessary to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. So if Ukraine does become a NATO member, his justification for the war collapses. In short, they’re setting Putin up for another failure to push him into the next phase,” Tsybulko explained.

According to Tsybulko, freezing the conflict would ensure sanctions on Russia continue.

“The idea of freezing the war along the current demarcation line is, in many ways, logical. Europeans and Americans know how to count their money. If these war-torn regions remain Russia’s problem, they’ll become a drain on Russia’s already shrinking budget. Plus, this gives the West a reason to keep sanctions in place. Meanwhile, Ukraine gains NATO protection. For instance, the UK has been building a naval command center that NATO could use. So, freezing the conflict could very well include stationing Western forces in Ukraine,” he added.

• In September, Germany's Foreign Minister outlined the key conditions for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
• Meanwhile, India's Foreign Minister recently clarified that while his country doesn’t have a specific peace plan for Ukraine, they’re maintaining dialogue with both Kyiv and Moscow.