In shadow of Trump, Ukraine to prioritise security guarantees over land for truce: Report

With US President-elect Donald Trump’s second term on the horizon, Ukraine appears to be shifting its position on the end of the war.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that surrendering territory is out of the question, now it appears that the focus is shifting towards security guarantees, according to The New York Times.

The development comes around Trump’s victory in the US election. Trump has been critical of the US support to Ukraine and is deemed friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has fawned for years. He has indicated he would not continue outgoing President Joe Biden’s unwavering support to Ukraine.

Security guarantees a priority as Trump era dawns

With the dawn of the Trump era when there is no assurance of continued US military or economic support, Ukraine is considering accelerated timetable for negotiations and is putting at least as much importance on security guarantees as on where the ceasefire line would be drawn, according to The Times.

Two officials told the newspaper that Ukraine would not make territorial boundaries the central point of talks, but will instead focus on security guarantees to get an assurance that no new invasion would happen.

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“Talks should be based on guarantees. For Ukraine, nothing is more important," said Roman Kostenko, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Defense and Intelligence Committee, to the newspaper.

A second Ukrainian official told the newspaper on the condition of anonymity: “The territorial question is extremely important, but it’s still the second question. The first question is security guarantees.”

In Ukraine, the support for a land-for-peace agreement has increased. While a survey by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found 19 per cent nationally supported such a move, now the percentage is 19 per cent.

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Security guarantees have soured talks before

In the early months of the war, Russia and Ukraine were engaged in dialogue to end the war. The efforts failed to reach any agreement.

One of the main sticking points in those talks was of security guarantees, which would include other countries to ensure Ukraine’s safety and come to its aid if Russian were to invade it again.

There is also skepticism in the idea as similar deals in 2014 and ‘15 did not go anywhere.

In any talks in the near-future, however, the most pressing issue of Kursk where Ukraine mounted a stunning incursion. However, even as Ukraine captured around 1,000 sq kms of territory, there has been no strategic gain, as Russi has continued its grinding war in Ukraine’s east.

The approach of the two sides also differs as while Ukraine views Kursk as a bargaining chip, Russia made withdrawal from Kursk to consider talks.