“Donating Russia's Donbass as the Sudeten Sudeten Country to Hitler. Weaken the defense capacity of Ukraine”

On Tuesday, the Portal Politico compared the possible transfer of Russia Donbass to the annexation of the Sudeten country by the German Reich in 1938. Hitler paved this way to the rest of the rest of Czechoslovakia in 1939; Similarly, devotion to Donbass would significantly weaken Ukraine's ability to defend against subsequent attempts of Russia.

“Donating the powerful lines of fortifications to the expansionist neighbor who wants to destroy your state at all costs, usually turns out to be a bad idea,” Politico points out.

The dedication of the Sudeten country in 1938, together with the dense network of forts, forests and trenches as part of the Munich agreement, led to the radical weakening of the Czechoslovak ability to defend against Nazi Germany.

Now – as the portal notes – Europeans are concerned that Kiev's ability to oppose Russia will be similarly undermined if US President Donald Trump will press Ukraine to give away key defense lines in Donbass as part of a possible peace agreement.

Ukraine has been expanding there since 2014. Fortec belt, which includes key centers of Ukrainian defense, such as Kramatorsk and Słowiansk, serving, among others as logistics hubs for the Ukrainian army.

Although Trump can perceive part of Donbass as “scrapes thrown from the table” to lead to an agreement, Zelanski knows that such a concession would serve Moscow as a “trampoline for the future new offensive,” Politico writes.

A similar diagnosis is made by the American Institute of War Research (ISW), arguing that the suspension of weapons under such conditions would give Moscow a “much more favorable starting point” for further expansion into Ukraine.

Meanwhile – as the British Ministry of Defense believes – Russia is not close to taking control of the whole of Donbass, which consists of Lugansk and Donetsk circuits. As she estimates, Moscow, to take over these territories, as well as her mostly controlled by her Zaporoski and Kersoński circuits, would have to wage war for over 4 years and suffer losses of 1.9 million soldiers (wounded and fallen).

“Russia is probably aware that it currently does not have sufficient military abilities to achieve its maximalist goals only on the battlefield,” wrote the Latvian Intelligence Agency in a recent report. Instead, Moscow “tries to force Ukraine to make concessions through various pressure measures.”

However – despite the fears that Trump could “give Ukraine to Putin” – there are significant differences between 2025 and 1938 – notes Politico.

In 1938, Czechoslovakia was not invited to the table. This time Zełent was in the White House to talk to Trump, and he made it clear that he wanted to suspend weapons based on the current front line.

Similarly, the situation is evaluated by European officials who talked to the portal.

“You can't see the same thing now,” said Tomas Kopecny, a special envoy of the Czech government for Ukraine – “It doesn't look like Munich.” (PAP)

MWS/ MMS/