As the Corriere della Sera newspaper notes, right now, the head of state, Volodymyr Zelensky, must make a fateful choice for Ukraine and its future. On the one hand, security guarantees from the United States and other profitable agreements for the country's reconstruction, and on the other, extremely painful concessions regarding the Donetsk region.
Points of attention
- The loss of the Donetsk region could strategically benefit Russia, posing a threat to Ukraine's access to the Black Sea and its economic independence.
- Zelensky's choice is pivotal as it may determine Ukraine's path forward in the ongoing war and its geopolitical relationships.
Trump is trying to drive Zelensky into a corner
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Ukrainian leader officially confirmed that Kyiv and Washington are each working on peace documents.
Moreover, he added that the negotiating teams are "on the final stretch."
According to the latest data, at least 4 documents are on the negotiating table:
a common "signature" framework document;
three key agreements, among which the most controversial is regarding the Donetsk region.
Putin's team is actively seeking to have Ukraine give Russia part of the Donetsk region that it cannot capture on its own — about 20% of the region.
Until the Kremlin forces Kyiv to legally recognize Russia's sovereignty over this territory, however, this will not make Ukraine any easier.
Everyone in the Office of the President of Ukraine understands perfectly well that the loss of Donetsk fortifications will open the way for Russia to the Dnieper, and then to Odessa.
This would mean the loss of access to the Black Sea and a critical dependence of Ukrainian exports on Moscow.
That is why right now Volodymyr Zelenskyy finds himself faced with the most difficult choice since the beginning of the war.
