Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suddenly announced at a joint press conference after a meeting with Slovenian President Moussa on June 29 that Ukraine is considering a "comprehensive peace plan" to end the war with Russia by the end of this year.
He made three specific demands: the full withdrawal of Russian troops from all "occupied Ukrainian territories", including the eastern oblasts and the Crimean peninsula; Russia pays huge war reparations to Ukraine; Russia handed over all "war criminals" to be tried by a special tribunal.
Russian state media gave a tough assessment of this, directly calling it an "unequal treaty". And regardless of Zelensky's purpose in proposing this "peace plan", in fact, this plan is extremely difficult to implement, and the chances of success are slim.
Judging from the content of the three requirements, they are far from being reasonable and realistic. In particular, the first one, which demands that Russia completely withdraw its troops from Ukraine, is actually tantamount to bringing the Crimea and Donbass issues back to the way they were, that is, back to the state before the start of the war, which is completely unacceptable to Russia.
The war has been going on to this stage, and a complete withdrawal of troops would be Russia's complete defeat in the war, which would seriously damage Russia's national interests and image, and the Crimean issue would be restarted.
Article 2 demands that Russia pay huge reparations, but the exact amount is not mentioned, which is also difficult to achieve. Since the two sides are already in a state of mutual sanctions, the economy has been cut off, and Russia is facing a serious economic crisis, it will be very difficult to find a huge reparation. The third article is also difficult to justify the surrender of war criminals, because Russia does not admit to war crimes and will not easily hand over its own citizens.
Judging by the timing of this plan, it is clear that the purpose is most likely not to sincerely promote peace, but to buy time and international support for Ukraine's upcoming summer counteroffensive. At present, the Russian and Ukrainian forces are in a state of high-intensity confrontation on the front line, and it is impossible for either side to sincerely consider peace talks.
Zelensky proposed this plan, apparently to alleviate the doubts of the domestic public and Western countries about the unfavorable situation in Ukraine, in order to win more cash and weapons support and pave the way for the counteroffensive.
For more than a year, the Ukrainian government has been stalling for time by making unrealistic demands for peace. For example, the peace plan presented last year and the negotiations on the status of a neutral State proposed this year have not made substantial progress. In essence, the three demands put forward this time are also difficult to achieve, and they are also using the "peace talks" to gain time.
Internally, the Zelensky government is very determined to push for war. Although the domestic people are struggling to make ends meet and the economic losses are huge, Zelensky and other officials value Western support more and do not dare to take the initiative to propose peace terms of concession and compromise. Only through war can we consolidate the regime and protect our personal interests. A government that sincerely seeks peace would not make such extreme demands.
From the "peace plan" proposed by Zelensky this time and its background, we can see that it does not fit the situation and is far from reaching the strategic bottom line of the Russian side. In all likelihood, the aim was to buy time for the upcoming counteroffensive in the hope of gaining more material support. Talks about peace in the true sense of the word are still far from the present stage.
Significant progress is possible only when there is a decisive change in the situation of the war, or when economic pressures make it impossible for one side to continue the war. At present, truce and land reparations are more likely than peace. After entering the summer, the weather in the Crimea region is humid and rainy, which is not conducive to large-scale ground operations, and if it can delay time through "peace talks" at this time, it will be extremely beneficial to the Ukrainian army.
Even if the Ukrainian army achieves tactical victories in some places, it will be difficult to really change the overall situation of the all-out war between Russia and Ukraine. Russia is both prepared and determined to accompany Ukraine for a long time.
Unless there is a major change in the level of confidence and support in the West, or too much pressure from public opinion in Ukraine, Zelensky's government will not really consider calling for peace at this time. Whether Ukraine can achieve a lasting ceasefire with Russia with the support of international public opinion and strength in the future will need to be verified for a longer time. #头条创作挑战赛#