"If Ukraine gives up the fortress cities in the Donbas, the only security they can have is by being heavily armed and being backed by their allies in some way,"
"The only thing that would stop Russia is deterrence: the knowledge that either European forces were sitting in Ukraine ready to fight for them, which is hard to imagine at the moment, and that they are backed up by American forces, which is even harder to imagine."
"security guarantees are among the most important elements for all subsequent steps,"
"We would help with security because, in my opinion, it's a necessary factor,"
Ukraine is unwilling to cede remaining territory in Donetsk because it contains a belt of heavily defended fortress cities including Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and the besieged town of Pokrovsk. Relinquishing those cities would leave Ukraine dependent on heavy armament and allied backing for basic security. Deterrence is presented as the only viable check on further Russian advances, requiring either visible European forces in Ukraine ready to fight or substantial American backing, both of which appear unlikely. Security guarantees are identified as essential for subsequent steps, and an external power indicated readiness to provide unspecified security assistance.
Read at www.dw.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]