The US is considering three options for ending the war in Ukraine through negotiations: two of them were rejected by Zelenskyy

The United States has three different models of what a negotiated end to the full-scale war in Ukraine might look like. And two of them involve partial loss of territory.

This is reported by the American edition of The Washington Post with reference to its own sources.

Journalists note that each option has supporters in the White House. We are talking about the following three models of ending the war through the negotiation process:

• The first is part of a peace plan proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month. It envisages Russia’s withdrawal from all the territory of Ukraine it currently occupies, including Crimea and the territories of Donbas seized in 2014.
• The second model is the withdrawal of troops on the 2014 line (i.e. Crimea and part of Donbas will remain occupied).
• The third model provides for the liberation of Donbas, but not Crimea.

The last two models were rejected by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He made it clear to the American side that he would not support such options, as peace in Ukraine can only come when the Russian occupiers leave all the occupied territories.

According to a senior U.S. official, during a personal meeting on December 21, U.S. leader Joe Biden wanted to hear Zelenskyy’s “current thoughts on how this should look.” The official clarified that this is currently a kind of “academic discussion”, as there are no signs that Russia is interested in negotiations.

On the contrary, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced plans to increase the size of the Russian army to 1.5 million people. This proposal was made in Shoigu’s address to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the dictator supported this idea.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s top military leadership warns of a possible new Russian offensive from the north in early 2023.

According to US officials, Russia is facing “a very significant shortage of ammunition”, which is “an increasingly serious problem”. In addition, the Kremlin is debating whether Russian troops are ready for major military operations. However, despite the internal disputes in the Kremlin over tactics, Moscow has not put forward any serious proposals for the withdrawal of its troops and has not shown any desire for peace.

Zelensky’s visit to the United States and the issue of weapons

The publication writes that despite the demonstration of unity between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Joe Biden, they still have differences in views on some of Ukraine’s military needs.

The day before, Washington announced a new military aid package worth $1.85 billion, which will include the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. At the same time, the President of Ukraine and his advisers continue to insist on the provision of modern weapons by Washington, which the White House is in no hurry to transfer. We are talking, in particular, about battle tanks and long-range missiles (such as ATACMS).

Pentagon officials insist that Ukraine already has enough tanks, and that American Abrams are too complicated to operate and maintain. At a joint press conference with Zelenskyy, answering a question about missiles that would allow Ukrainian forces to hit targets in Russia, Biden said that such weapons could destroy NATO’s unity in supporting our country.

Commenting on Zelenskyy’s visit to the United States, a senior White House official noted that it was important for the Ukrainian leader to use “personal charisma” when speaking to members of Congress. After all, it was necessary to convey the arguments that the war in Ukraine is “really a struggle for democracy.”

For Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself, the purpose of yesterday’s visit to the United States was focused on calls for more powerful weapons that would help launch major offensive operations against Russian troops in 2023. The Washington Post argues that “there were few signs that he succeeded, at least in the short term.”

At the same time, the White House wanted to “discuss Zelenskiy’s views on diplomacy,” a senior Biden administration official said on condition of anonymity.

– Where he is and what he needs to make sure Kyiv is in the strongest position so we can accelerate the emergence of a negotiating table,” the official explained.

He reiterated the White House’s longstanding position that “it is not for us to describe what diplomacy should look like, when it should start, or what its red lines should be.” And the decision on the negotiation process should be made by Ukraine.

– This was an opportunity for Biden and Zelensky to talk seriously about where we are going… Not to tell (Zelensky – Ed.) what to do… To make sure that we agree on common goals and understand each other.

Biden is still worried about going too far too fast for fear of escalation. Zelensky wants to make it clear that he needs this constant support, which, frankly, only the United States can provide,” explained Ivo Daalder, former US ambassador to NATO.

The publication writes that even without fundamental shifts in the issue of weapons, the stakes for the visit of the President of Ukraine to the United States were high. Zelenskiy is trying to strengthen and broaden support for Ukraine in Washington and throughout the democratic world. And so far, “this goal seems to have been achieved.”