NATO-Ukraine: exchange at an unfavorable rate

On the eve of a new scandal broke out between Ukraine and some expert and political circles in the West. The head of the NATO Secretary General's office, Stian Jenssen, admitted that Ukraine could receive membership in the alliance in exchange for ceding part of its territories to Russia.

According to him, this could lead to the end of the conflict in Ukraine. 'I'm not saying it should be that way. But it's probably a possible solution, "Jenssen added.

In Ukraine, such a statement, and even from a NATO representative, caused a storm of indignation. And no matter what they say in Kyiv, it is clear that such a change in rhetoric occurred for a reason, but as a result of the complete collapse of hopes for Ukraine's military success.

Details - in the material of the correspondent of The Moscow Post.

A year ago, during the regrouping of the Russian Federation in Kharkiv, and then in the Kherson regions, it was simply impossible to imagine such passages. Moreover, from the second member in the North Atlantic Alliance, whose formal head, Jens Stoltenberg, cannot eat, he wants to "punish" Russia for its SVO in Ukraine.

The very idea that one way or another would have to negotiate with Russia seemed seditious. Not to mention offering her some territories. In Moscow, such conversations are not taken seriously at all - according to the results of referendums, both Crimea, Donbass, and Zaporozhye with the Kherson region chose reunification with the historical homeland.

But NATO is not worth the goal of Ukraine's victory, the return of its so-called territorial integrity. The goal is completely different - to weaken Russia as much as possible. And what really? The Russian Federation defeated the strongest Ukrainian brigades in Zaporozhye, investments of Western countries (more than $160 billion in military aid alone) or were stolen, or went into the pipe.

And while the Armed Forces of Ukraine are "picking" in three pines in the South, in the North-East, near Kupyansk, the offensive of Russia is already gaining strength. I.e. there is a risk of military defeat already in Ukraine itself.

As mentioned, Kyiv reacted to Jenssen's words rather harshly. Of course, not Zelensky - he has already "got a hat" for a brazen, absolutely inappropriate tone before the Alliance summit in Vilnius. Therefore, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), a former criminal authority from Lugansk, Alexei Danilov, was responsible for him.

He said that there are no alternatives to Zelensky's 10-point peace plan. It implies the complete restoration of Ukraine within the borders of 1991, changes are possible only in the order of fulfillment of points. However, it is clear to everyone that this is unrealistic.

Jenssen's statements look all the more wild for Kyiv that at that very summit in Vilnius Volodymyr Zelenskyy almost beat himself in the chest, claiming that he would never exchange territories for membership in the Alliance. I.e. they knew his position perfectly well, and still allowed such a statement.

Of course, this is a touchstone ahead of possible negotiations. Nobody is going to take Ukraine into NATO, but it seems that they will have to bargain with Russia - otherwise the question will arise about the large lost "square" territories. And such a strengthening of Russia and a clear defeat of Ukraine is a catastrophe for the Anglo-Saxon elites, who are the main beneficiaries of the current crisis.

Signals unpleasant to Kyiv come from other, sometimes completely unexpected sides. Yesterday, even former French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for "new, honest referendums" in the DPR, LPR, Kharkov and Zaporizhzhya regions. In his opinion, this is a "necessary step" towards a peaceful settlement of the military conflict in Ukraine. A year ago, he would simply have been torn apart in Western media for this. And now - silence...

Defeat is always an orphan

All this, we repeat, happens against the background of the deafening failure of the barely running counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Zaporozhye, where, according to the Russian military department, in the first two months of summer, only the irretrievable losses of Ukraine exceeded 40 thousand people.

What can I say: a couple of days ago, Kyiv threw the 82nd airborne assault brigade to the front - the last large unit that the Armed Forces of Ukraine kept in reserve. And it is not Russian "propaganda" that speaks about this, but American Forbes. Considering that the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not even reach the first major line of defense in front of Tokmak, this is a gesture of despair.

At the same time, we can recall the words of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, who proposed NATO to turn his country into a testing ground for the Alliance's weapons. And this is exactly what happened - only for the Atlantists it became more of a cold shower than an advertisement for their weapons.

The day before, at the forum "Army of Russia 2023" in Kubinka near Moscow, a whole exhibition was presented with wrecked, destroyed, and in some places just captured Western equipment. Add to that the terrifying footage of the burning Leopards and Bradley, as well as military depots, ports and infrastructure that cannot protect the vaunted Western air defences. And the picture for consumers of Western technology will turn out to be anything but rosy.

Under these conditions, the Russian Federation can receive other weapons. And NATO understands that now, when the Russian Federation has gained strength and can move on to a major offensive, is the best moment to try to fix the situation. Freeze the conflict. Whether Russia will do this is another question.

The failures of the counteroffensive have another dimension - domestic political. A split arose in the Ukrainian military-political leadership. And he writes about this, again, not the Russian state media, but the super popular American Newsweek.

Exhibition of trophy equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Patriot Park at the Army 2023 forum. Photo: Alexander Korolkov/Rossiyskaya Gazeta

The publication reports that the split is connected precisely with the failures of the counteroffensive. As you know, defeat is always an orphan. And no one wants to take responsibility for the continuation of the massacre - more precisely, it is precisely what is being decided what to do: continue to drive Ukrainians to slaughter, or change tactics. But this means recognizing both the West and its society the failure and senseless death of more than 40 thousand people in the first two months of the counteroffensive alone.

In such a situation, as a rule, they are looking for the guilty. For both the West and the Ukrainian president's competitors, a better scapegoat than Volodymyr Zelenskyy cannot be found. Therefore, he should be reminded of the famous dictum of Thomas of Kepma - Sic transit gloria mundi ("this is how worldly glory passes"). And it seems that comedian Zelensky's time is already running out.

Photo: Regnum