Kyiv locals walk past a sea of flags set up to commemorate Ukrainian soldiers who have been killed in the war, 30 August 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE / SERGEY DOLZHENKO
The Ukrainian government is considering scenarios to end the war with Russia that would involve it temporarily revising its stated goal of recapturing all of the country’s territory currently under Russian occupation, German news outlet Der Spiegel reported on Sunday.
Citing an unnamed official close to the Ukrainian government, Der Spiegel said Kyiv had begun holding “serious discussions” about forgoing the recapture of the approximately 20% of the country’s territory held by Russia.
“We believed that victory had to mean the unconditional surrender of Putin’s Russia”, Der Spiegel cited its source as saying. Kyiv had had a “mistaken view of victory”, the official added, admitting that a deal to end the war should also be “advantageous for Russia” and was impossible without concessions.
According to Der Spiegel, the discussions come amid growing signs of war fatigue among Ukrainians, with the initial optimism sparked by the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s (AFU) unexpected incursion into Russia’s southwestern Kursk region in August having faded as Russia continues its “slow but seemingly relentless” advance in eastern Ukraine.
Uncertainty around continued American support for Ukraine regardless of who wins the upcoming US presidential election in November is also a factor, Der Spiegel said.
“Whether it’s Trump or Harris, the Americans will slowly but surely withdraw”, the official said, adding that people “don’t really want to fight anymore” as Ukraine approaches a challenging and potentially decisive third winter of the war.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said that Kyiv’s aim is to liberate all internationally-recognised territories of Ukraine currently held by Russia, The Financial Times reported earlier in October that a “West German” model to end the war — which would see Ukraine relinquish its goal of reclaiming Russian-occupied territories by military means in exchange for NATO membership — was “gaining traction” in official circles.
In September, Czech President Petr Pavel told The New York Times that Ukraine had to be “realistic” about its prospects of recovering territory occupied by Russia and that the war would probably end with part of Ukrainian territory remaining under Russian control.
