With the war in Ukraine now in its 22nd day, Moscow and Kiev are preparing the ground for a peace agreement which, of course, if reached, will take several days.
Despite initial optimistic assessments yesterday about a draft agreement potentially leading to an immediate ceasefire, analysts believe that the "thorns" on the road to the end of the war are many and that it will take some time for the negotiations to clear the air.
The dilemmas
The dilemmas for the Russian invaders and the fiercely resisting Ukrainians are many.
Putin and Zelensky will sooner or later have to sit down at the same table to find a solution that satisfies both sides as much as possible.
The Russian president will have to bring an agreement that he will wear as a trophy to his country, claiming that on the one hand he has gained control of some territories that he considered his own, such as those in the Donbass region, and on the other that he has managed to put a brake on Ukraine's membership of NATO.
At the same time he has to weigh up the internal reactions to the war in Ukraine, the Russian economy which is being "strangled" by Western sanctions and the deaths of Russian soldiers which are increasing day by day.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has won the sympathy of all Europeans and has the support of the Ukrainian people, wants to hold on by hook or by crook to control almost all the Ukrainian territories besieged by the Russians.
The price Ukraine has paid in human lives, both soldiers and civilians, has been enormous since the beginning of the war. Much of the country's basic infrastructure has been destroyed and now Zelensky wants the war to end as soon as possible so that the reconstruction of the country and the gradual return of thousands of uprooted people can begin, which will be the next big gamble.
What Kiev must give Putin to stop the war
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has already shown remarkable skill as a diplomat and is clearly willing to say and do whatever is acceptable to him and his people in order to get Russia off his country's back.
For him, there is a primary goal - to make sure that Ukraine emerges from this terrible experience a united, independent country rather than a province of Russia - what President Putin initially seemed to think he could accomplish.
For President Putin, all that matters now is that he can declare victory. Regardless of the fact that everyone in his government will understand how Russia bled in this unnecessary invasion. Regardless of the fact that about 20% of Russians who understand what is really going on in the world will know that Putin has bet on a fantasy that he invented himself and lost.
Source: in.gr
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