Will the Ukraine war end?

President Trumps administration recently leaked a 28-point peace plan that has been dominating headlines across the globe.

- HARSHA KAKAR

The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his initial address to the nation on the plan, said that Ukraine faces an impossible choice. It could either keep its national dignity and keep fighting or risk losing a major partner. The war is currently on a slow grind with missiles and drones dominating the battlefield.

After discussions with his allies and advisors, Zelenskyy mentioned a broad acceptance of the plan. Discussions between the US and Ukraine on key aspects are currently on. The ground reality is that Russia is making slow gains while destroying Ukraine’s energy infrastructure steadily, especially as winter is round the bend. Western sanctions, including on its oil exports have not had the desired results on the battlefield. On the contrary, Ukraine is finding it difficult to replace its frontline troops as those eligible are fleeing to Europe.

Europe, which claims to stand by Ukraine, is unable to meet Kyiv’s demands for weapons and ammunition as it has limited manufacturing capacity. The US also cannot produce at the rate at which Ukraine is expending them. The threat of the US withdrawing support from Ukraine, unless it signed the agreement, compelled Kyiv and its European allies to have a rethink.

Broadly the peace plan revolves around Ukraine sacrificing land, which Zelenskyy had thus far refused, freezing frontlines in certain areas, capping Ukraine’s military power, reconstruction of Ukraine partially by using Russian assets blocked in the West, sharing of power resources, security guarantees while discarding membership of NATO and reintegration of Russia in the global financial and economic architecture, alongside lifting of sanctions.