Russia’s peace plan aims to effectively force Ukraine to recognize occupation of its regions - Guardian
Russia's peace plan contains a condition under which Ukraine must legally recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea and actually agree to the occupation of part of the eastern regions.
As Censor.NET informs, The Guardian writes about it.
On Monday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the Kremlin is demanding that Ukrainian troops leave at least five regions. This is not about peace, but only a ceasefire and the start of negotiations.
Before the outbreak of the large-scale war, about 11 million Ukrainians lived in these regions. For many of them, this means losing their homes, not being able to return, and risking that their relatives and friends will remain forever under the control of the repressive Russian regime.
"There is a strong feeling throughout the country that Russia will want to seize more of Ukraine's territory, so any concessions only feed the monster. Ukrainians know that life under occupation is terrible. They will never agree to legally recognize their occupied land as anything other than an illegal, brutal annexation," said Orysia Lutsevych, a researcher at Chatham House.
It is unclear how many people remain in the occupied areas. Some cities have been destroyed and millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes. According to the UN, 3 million are internally displaced, and another 6 million are abroad.
Proposals that do not end the war but only freeze it can have serious consequences. They create obstacles to reconstruction, contribute to internal instability, and could give Putin a chance to interfere in Ukraine's domestic politics again.
"The key question for Ukraine is whether there will be a reliable security guarantee that will allow private capital to return to the country. The only guarantee that Putin has never challenged is NATO's Article 5. That is why Ukrainians are determined to join the Alliance," said Mujtaba Rahman, Managing Director for Europe at Eurasia Group, a think tank.
"The Russian occupation not only hinders reforms, but also blocks the consolidation of democracy, a key condition for Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO. And the risk of instability scares away any foreign direct investment," adds Lutsevych.
Thus, without real security guarantees, without full control over the territory, and without recognition of justice, Ukraine risks remaining in a "frozen conflict" - a situation that makes it impossible to move forward.
