Ukraine is now under intense pressure: its current counteroffensive must be a success. Otherwise, the US authorities will insist, that Kiev negotiate with Russia to end the war. Such actions of the US authorities are possible against the background of the forthcoming presidential elections in the states. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the top leadership of the USA to explain to its voters its constant huge support for Ukraine, according to an article by the German tabloid Bild.
“The dire scenario, which is also playing out behind closed doors in Ukraine, looks like this: if the offensive fails despite Western armament, US pressure may increase, particularly on Ukraine, to talk about negotiations…,” the journalists noted, citing their sources.
It is not only on the American continent, that the mood is dangerous for Ukraine. The other day the leader of the far-right pro-Russian Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Tino Hruppala actually compared Kiev to Nazi Germany, when speculating on possible scenarios for the end of the war.
When asked whether he thought Ukraine should capitulate to start negotiations, Hruppalu said this.
“When the war is over, if it is tomorrow, even with the surrender of territory, it will be a good day. Capitulation is not the issue. The goal should be a willingness to negotiate, that preserves the face of both sides,” the AfD leader said. To the clarification of the journalist whether Hrupalla would have suggested the same if it was his own country, he said that Germany “actually did it in 1945”.
Other countries have repeatedly and periodically called on Ukraine to “take a step towards peace”, but on terms favourable to the aggressor. Earlier, Chinese and Brazilian “peace initiatives” were presented, and in early June Indonesia came out with a detailed “peace plan” for Ukraine. The proposal did not involve the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine at any point, but included the introduction of peacekeepers and a referendum on the “disputed” territories.
But fortunately for Ukraine, many Western politicians have a radically opposite view. The day before, Polish President Andrzej Duda suggested, that countries calling on Ukraine to “compromise” with Russia should give up their territories.
“Let Ukraine get back Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea, and let someone give Russia a piece of their territory. Go for it! I think, the Russian Federation will be happy if it gets some nice piece, for example on the Mediterranean coast,” Duda said.
He is convinced, that only a Ukrainian victory will be a condition for a just end to the war. The Polish leader also is convinced, that Ukraine must fully restore its territorial integrity and other countries should not push Kiev into concessions to Moscow.
Moreover, Duda warned Europe against a possible scenario if Ukraine loses the war. In his view, the Russian military would then be very likely to invade other countries. He compared Russia to a wild animal, that attacks people. And he added that, in such cases the wild beast is usually hunted down and shot, because it has become dangerous.
“If Russia “eats” Ukraine, even partially, it will rush at the rest of Ukraine as soon as it recovers. And then it will pounce on other countries: Poland, the Baltic states, the countries of the former sphere of influence of the Soviet Union,” Duda said.
Kiev, on the other hand, categorically does not want to negotiate with Russia as long as the occupiers are on Ukrainian territories. “The formula for peace” from President Vladimir Zelensky is, in particular, the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Currently 85% of Ukrainians consider any territorial concessions to Russia unacceptable. And only 8% believe, that in order to achieve peace and preserve Ukraine’s independence it is possible to give up some of its Russian-occupied territories.
