One of President Putin’s trusted men on a secret visit to Washington. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in shuttle traffic between Kyiv and Moscow. For the first time in a long time, it may look like something serious is finally happening to end the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II. – I hope we can discuss the nuances of what is happening now, said Russian President Vladimir Putin when he met Orban in the Kremlin on Friday afternoon. New peace proposal from Putin? When Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev arrived in the US on 26 June, he is said to have brought with him a proposal to the US authorities on terms that Russia can accept, in order to make peace with Ukraine. It must be emphasized that this has so far not been confirmed by official sources, but mentioned by a number of media. The well-known Ukrainian journalist Dmitryj Gordon also claims on TikTok that there should be a new proposal from Putin, which could form the basis for negotiations and an end to the war. Gordon is known for his good contacts with top Ukrainian politicians and intelligence sources. FRONT LINE CITY. The Ukrainian city of Toretsk in Donbas is now under heavy attack from the Russian forces. Photo: Reuters Compromise on Crimea? According to the website Kyiv Post, the proposal amounts to the following: Ukraine gives up control over the counties of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east of the country, including the parts that are currently controlled by the Ukrainian government forces. The Krym Peninsula shall remain Russian. But according to some sources, Putin is willing for the area to be given a kind of neutral status, where neither Russia nor Ukraine has a military presence. Ukraine allows the water supply to Krym from the Dnieper River to be reopened. Russia initially hands over control of the occupied nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya and the city of Enerhodar to Ukraine, and eventually also the parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhya counties that the Russian forces now control. Ukraine says no to NATO membership and limits its military forces, but is free to join the EU. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. 10 years of war have led to great destruction in the eastern part of Ukraine. Photo: Reuters Security guarantees are a key point Initially, this may be similar to proposals that Russia and President Vladimir Putin presented in the months after the major Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022. At the time, there were several rounds of negotiations organized by the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, including in Istanbul at the end of March 2022. But just a few days after the parties had come close to a compromise, the images documenting brutal abuses by the Russian forces, including in Butsha outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, came. Nevertheless, the talks continued, until it became clear that Russia wanted to have veto power in connection with the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine. In principle, Ukraine was willing to give up its plans for NATO membership. However, they could not accept that Russia could block other countries from coming to their aid, if they themselves went to attack Ukraine again. In reality, this was a question of full capitulation to that Russia. At the same time, it quickly became clear that the military goals Putin had set for his soldiers were far from being achieved. Ukraine defended itself far better than most experts and the Russian president himself had thought. In addition, the Russian army was much less prepared for such a war than Putin himself had thought. GETTING OLDER. There are still quite a few elderly people holding out in the bombed-out Ukrainian town of Toretsk. Photo: Reuters Nobody can win the war on the ground Today, two years and four months into the war, it is clear to everyone that neither side can achieve a complete victory on the battlefield. The Ukrainian summer offensive in 2023 was unsuccessful, while the Russian attack against Kharkiv in May 2024 has also stalled, with heavy losses on the Russian side. With the help of long-range missiles, Ukraine has more or less neutralized the Russian military bases in Krym. In Europe, Putin’s closest, and perhaps only, political ally in Europe, Viktor Orban, has taken over the EU presidency. During his visit to Kyiv on June 30, he urged President Volodymyr Zelenskyj to sit down to negotiate, initially on a ceasefire. FROM KYIV TO MOSCOW. Prime Minister Viktor Orban met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on Tuesday this week. Photo: Reuters Orban for peace? Now, the often overlooked Orban can become the man who gets the war between Russia and Ukraine out of the impasse it is in, even though commission leader Ursula von der Leyen, among other things, warns against showing weakness towards Putin. SURPRISE VISIT. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban himself posted this photo shortly after landing at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. Photo: AP But peace is probably a long way off. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeated many times that it is out of the question to give up the country’s territorial integrity. Nevertheless, it is becoming urgent now for Ukraine and Zelenskyi as well. The population is war-weary and the loss of so many men and some women in the war is proportionately much greater there than in Russia, which has three times as many inhabitants. We could be in for an interesting time. A small hope for peace is in any case lit. Published 05.07.2024, at 23.04 Updated 05.07.2024, at 23.08
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Does Russian President Vladimir Putin actually want peace with Ukraine? – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
