End of war with territorial concessions on part of Ukraine discussed more often in Europe — WP

Among Ukraine's European partners, rumors are increasing that the russian-Ukrainian war will end with territorial concessions on the part of Kyiv. At the same time, Europeans believe that moscow will also have to make certain concessions.

The American publication The Washington Post wrote about it with reference to the words of ten current and former diplomats from the countries of the European Union and NATO.

The publication writes that such conversations became even more relevant after the election victory of Donald Trump, who made it clear that he could support an agreement to end the war, as a result of which part of the occupied territory of Ukraine would remain in the hands of russia.

In Europe, the closed-door discussions are also being fueled by the bleak situation on the battlefield, with Ukrainian troops on the defensive, and concerns about cuts in U.S. funding.

Interviews with current and former diplomats show that Ukraine's partners are increasingly eager to lay the groundwork for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, even if the parameters of the agreement remain elusive.

European officials and NATO representatives admit that talks about territorial concessions no longer raise so many questions. Diplomats now formulate them not as “land-for-peace” but rather as land for Ukraine’s security.

“I think everybody has more or less reached this conclusion. It’s hard to say it publicly because it would be a way of saying we are going to reward aggression,” said Gérard Araud, a former French ambassador to Washington.

Exactly what the deal might look like remains unclear, as diplomats study various variations of the "peace plan" that have emerged since the start of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

With russian forces controlling roughly a fifth of the country — including eastern Donbas and the annexed Crimean peninsula — freezing today's front lines or drawing a demarcation line would mean Ukraine ceding a large chunk of its territory.

Camille Grand, a former NATO assistant secretary general and a distinguished policy fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations, said it was now widely accepted that the talks could start earlier than expected and that they would lead to some concessions on both sides.

He said European leaders have strong doubts about how Trump's team "will want to play," and while they hope the next administration will force russia to the negotiating table, they fear it could back Ukraine into a bad corner by cutting off aid.

European politicians say they must continue to strengthen Ukraine so that it has leverage if talks do begin. They also want to avoid surprises if the incoming Trump administration pushes for a deal.

Trump briefly touched on the land issue in a phone call with russian president vladimir putin, in which he advised the russian leader not to escalate the war, according to several people familiar with the situation. At the same time, no one said that the Donbas should be given to Ukraine.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on November 12, the British publication The Economist wrote that a ceasefire between Ukraine and russia may begin on January 20, 2025 — the day of Trump's inauguration.

The day before, the Reuters agency wrote that Ukraine is now directing efforts to take a stronger position in case of possible negotiations with russia.

Earlier, the Bloomberg agency reported with reference to its own sources that Trump understands that he cannot force Ukraine to make concessions without getting anything in return.

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