Ukraine is ready to cease hostilities along the front line in exchange for security guarantees: Corriere della Sera
Ukraine is ready for a ceasefire along the current front line, but without recognizing the loss of territories, in exchange for security guarantees from the US and the prospect of joining the EU. About this informs Italian publication Corriere della Sera.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Italy for the second time in a month, where he plans to meet with Prime Minister Georgia Maloney. The visit took place after the cancellation of the leaders’ meeting in the Rammstein format. After the meetings in Italy, Zelensky will also meet with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, and later he will go to Villa Doria Pamphili for talks with Georgia Maloney. Meetings with Pope Francis in the Vatican and Prime Minister of Great Britain Keir Starmer in London are also planned.
As the publication notes, Zelensky’s activity shows his desire to achieve a peaceful settlement and obtain guarantees of protection against future aggressions from Russia. The President emphasized that Ukraine has real chances to achieve stability this fall or winter, and the current situation at the front can create conditions for ending the war by 2025.
Despite the fact that Ukrainian forces have an advantage in Donbas, the situation with the operation in the Kursk region is difficult. The military operation was supposed to raise morale and strengthen the support of allies, but now Ukrainian units are isolated on the territory of Russia, which makes it difficult to support them in Donbas. A retreat from Kursk could become a serious threat, as it would allow Russian troops to redeploy to the Sumy region.
Corriere della Sera notes that Zelensky is trying to convince European leaders at the political level. Although it cannot formally relinquish the occupied territories, Ukraine is willing to accept a ceasefire along the current front line — without recognizing new borders — in exchange for Western commitments. These are security guarantees similar to those the US has given to Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
However, these efforts are complicated by the ambitions of Vladimir Putin, who seeks not only to maintain control over the occupied territories, but also to destabilize Ukraine. Russia’s defense budget continues to grow and may reach $130 billion by 2025. In addition, Russian revenues from oil exports in 2024 will exceed pre-war figures. Until sanctions weaken Russia’s military economy, Putin has no incentive to start peace talks.
