Major, respected Western media outlets have this week published reports that totally contradict one another on the possibility of Ukraine giving up land in order to end its war with Russia.
CNN claimed on Tuesday that President Volodymyr Zelensky is sticking to his long-held refusal to cede parts of eastern Ukraine in return for peace. It quoted his warning that handing over the Donbas “will clearly open a bridgehead for the preparation of a Russian offensive” and potentially “start a third war.”
But shortly before, Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper splashed with the claim that Kyiv is “ready to give up land for peace.”
Its Brussels correspondent explained that this would mean “freezing the front line where it is and handing Russia de facto control of the territory it occupies in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Crimea”—that is, parts of the Donbas and beyond.
Donald Trump also suggested this week that Russia and Ukraine may have to engage in “land swapping” that will be “good” and “bad” for both countries to bring the conflict to an end.
The future ownership of land will no doubt be discussed during the U.S. president’s call with Zelensky today, on Wednesday, ahead of Trump’s Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin on Friday. Wednesday’s call will also be attended by European leaders, who have insisted that Ukraine’s borders “must not be changed by force.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán responded on Tuesday that it is time Brussels acknowledges the “reality” that Ukraine has lost the war and Russia has won, so it is time to negotiate the terms of a peace deal.
Friday’s summit will take place at an army base, which perhaps isn’t best for optics. Washington has already worked to downplay expectations, saying Trump’s meeting with Putin will be a “listening exercise,” which makes a change.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that “the goal of this meeting is to walk away with a better understanding of how we can end this war,” so there is likely to be much time to wait yet, and many more lives to be lost.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
