The newspaper admits that as a result of the ongoing corruption scandal in Ukraine, Zelensky's position is weaker than at any time since the beginning of the Russian attack on his country almost four years ago. He points out that it is this weakness that makes him less susceptible to pressure from the American administration. “WSJ” quotes the opinion of Nico Lange, a former high-ranking official of the German Ministry of Defense, who said that no Ukrainian president, especially the weakened Zelensky, has the mandate to agree to such concessions.
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Why would it be risky for Zelensky to give in to Trump's pressure?
What are the current reasons for the lack of peace in Ukraine?
What do Ukrainians think about the peace proposals?
What could be the consequences of giving in to Trump's pressure?
Will the military situation get worse?
The newspaper writes that despite the general tiredness of the war and the desire for peace, the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians they see peace proposals as a veiled capitulation, which is not justified by the situation on the battlefield, and although Ukrainian politicians are willing to talk, none of them is ready to give Russia areas it does not control.
Dmytro Kuleba, who was Ukraine's foreign minister until last year, admitted that the military situation was likely to worsen next year and that Russian demands could become even more stringent. However, he added that According to the government, the consequences of giving in to Trump's pressure would be worse than opposing it. He explained that accepting extremely harsh conditions that are unacceptable to society would be political suicide for Zelensky.
“There is no peace on the table”
“WSJ” quotes former Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Andriy Zahorodniuk, who emphasized that the peace plan in its current form will make the next round of the war will be even more devastating because it foresees the lifting of sanctions on Russia, and at the same time a significant reduction in Ukrainian defense capabilities. As he added, it is not a choice between a bad peace and a bad war, because there is really no peace on the table, and Ukrainians intuitively understand that the plan is not an alternative to war, but a step to strengthen the enemy.
In addition, as pointed out by Austrian military analyst Franz-Stefan Gazy, who was often present on the front line, a possible order by Zelensky to withdraw from the strongly fortified positions in the north of Donbas, as required by the peace plan, could trigger a serious crisis in relations between the armed forces and the civilian authorities, because the military, despite being tired and exhausted, is determined to fight.
