Donbas is Ukraine's belt of strongholds. Trump wants to trade it for peace

Russia and the US demand that Kiev withdraw from Donbas as part of the peace plan, which would mean giving up the “strip of fortresses” that serves as a defense bastion for Ukraine, said the Financial Times. According to experts, taking over these areas would open the way for Russia to further attacks.

The strongest strongholds

Pokrovsk, Konstantynivka, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk and Slovyansk – these are cities described by the British daily as the strongest fortresses protecting the eastern part of Ukraine from Russia.

As it was emphasized, “a significant part of the over $1 billion that Ukraine spent on defense last year went to Donbas, which is the target of Russian land attacks.” The editors noted that some of the fortifications are visible from highways crossing the region – these include: labyrinths of defensive lines composed of barbed wire, trenches, minefields and other obstacles.

“It would be easier for Russia to penetrate deep into Ukraine if its troops captured the cities in the fortress belt or received them, as the United States suggests, as part of the peace agreement,” we read in the FT.

Analysts comment

Mykola Belieskov, senior analyst at Come Back Alivea group involved in acquiring military equipment for the Ukrainian army, said that the US idea “is, in the opinion of (Donald) Trump's officials, the best proposal to reconcile Russia and Ukraine” during peace talks. In his opinion, accepting this proposal will create “a fracture (in society) in Ukraine, while at the same time opening nearby regions to further advances by the Russian military”. As noted by “FT”, the alternative would be a refusal to give up Donbas and the risk of withdrawal of support from Washington.

According to Ukrainian officials involved in the negotiations, the US is pushing for the creation of a demilitarized zone, similar to the one that divides North and South Korea. According to the President of Ukraine Volodomyr Zelensky this would mean a frozen conflict rather than permanent peace. This could lead to the regrouping of Russian forces before a new offensive.

Emil Kastehelmi, military analyst from the Finnish company Black Bird Groupsaid that Russian assurances about a demilitarized zone cannot be trusted. – Ukraine could, in principle, agree to this if it was supported by strong Western security guarantees, including troops stationed in Ukraine – he emphasized.

As noted by the FT, “however, the presence of Western troops on the ground, especially forces obliged to respond to renewed Russian aggression, remains a distant prospect and is not included in the current version of the peace plan.”

Oleksandr Matviychuk, a Ukrainian human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize winner, said in an interview with the FT that even if Ukraine gave up the rest of Donbas, it would not be enough to satisfy Russia's imperialist appetites. – Putin won't stop. (…) He sees Ukraine as a bridge to Europe. “He thinks about his heritage, he wants to rebuild the Russian empire,” she said, adding that Putin's appetite “grows as he eats.”

From London Marta Zabłocka (PAP)

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