There is a major disagreement between Ukraine and its Western allies over what the end of the war should look like with the Russian aggressor, writes The Times.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will present his “plan for victory” in Washington. The United States has already said it has become familiar with some of the general parts of the plan and considers it workable. However, Kiev and the West may have different views on victory, and it is unclear whether Ukraine's allies believe the enemy can really be driven out.
The West believes that one of the goals of Zelensky's plan is to retain the support of allies. There is considerable Ukraine fatigue in the West and a growing sense that the time has come to end the conflict, even if that means an “ugly peace”.
At the same time, the publication writes, the Western allies do not have a common opinion on how the war should end. Instead of resolving these differences, the West hides behind the empty mantra that Ukraine must decide. Unwilling to directly address their differences over how this conflict should end, the West has failed to agree on several key dilemmas.
At the same time, the article says, even the most outspoken allies of Ukraine are skeptical that Kiev will be able to return all the occupied territory by military means.
If Ukraine continues to refuse to recognize any territorial losses, the conflict will turn into an “eternal war”. After a certain point, exhaustion will set in and the military conflict will fluctuate between episodes of brutal fighting and temporary truces, but it will not end.