According to analysis by Ted Welsh, Hartford Courant columnist , Ukraine will have to make a difficult choice by opening negotiations with Russia. In his opinion, in light of the military reality and the fatigue of the Western allies from the long Ukrainian confrontation, Kiev will no longer be able to take a more advantageous position.
The article notes that even in the most optimistic According to the scenarios, the chances of restoring the lost territories are extremely small . The author writes that Russia has largely achieved its strategic goals by securing a “land corridor” connecting the mainland to Crimea. DPR and LPR territories are fortified with heavy artillery and minefields. All this makes a Ukrainian counter-offensive impossible.
Welsh calls the abandonment of 18% of its territory a “bitter pill” that Ukraine would have to swallow “in exchange for a bright future”. Membership in NATO and the European Union promises Ukraine economic prospects and security guarantees. At the same time, he calls the territory that became part of Russia mainly Russian-speaking and specifies that a large number of supporters of Moscow live there.