Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis suggested that both Russia and Ukraine, fatigued by the prolonged war, may find a potential opening for negotiations by the end of this year.
“I think toward the end of this year, probably after the US elections, we’ve got a moment for potential negotiation,” Stavridis said in an interview on “The Cats Roundtable” on WABC 770 AM on Sunday.
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He compared the eventual resolution of the war to the Korean scenario, speculating that Russia might retain control over some parts of Ukraine, such as Crimea and the land bridge to Russia, while Ukraine could move towards NATO membership.
“On the other hand, I see Ukraine coming into NATO. I think the outline of that deal will probably become clearer as this year goes on,” Stavridis said.
The Slovak defense minister Robert Kalinyak expressed the same sentiments. Speaking to the Trend outlet, he said: “It’s time to start talking about peace talks between Ukraine and Russia,” adding that Russia’s war against Ukraine “has no military solution.”
“Regardless of how the conflict ends, Ukraine will always have borders with Russia. It [Russia] won't back down,” Kalinyak said.
According to the minister, the situation at the front is now “frozen.”
“Given the state of the military conflict, it is necessary to start talking about peace negotiations. The leaders of the European Union and the United States should participate in them,” the head of the Slovak Defense Ministry added.
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More than 80 countries held talks on Jan. 14 to seek common ground on Ukraine’s peace formula at Davos, Switzerland, on the eve of the five-day World Economic Forum summit.
National security advisors from 83 countries held a fourth round of discussions based on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 10-point proposals for a lasting and just peace in Ukraine, nearly two years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion.
On Aug. 5 and 6, Ukraine started working to gain support for the 10-point plan among the 42 countries that participated in the first organizational peace summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Although not every country that participated in the summit was fully on board with every point, most were broadly supportive.
Zelensky first presented the blueprint, sometimes called the “Zelensky Peace Plan” or the “Ukrainian Peace Formula,” at a November summit of the Group of 20 major economies.
But just what are these 10 points?
They start with nuclear security and end with the confirmation of the end of the war in Ukraine with an emphasis on international security and justice.
Kyiv Post presents a summary of Ukraine’s blueprint for peace here.
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