Zelenskyy finally gave up his illusions and publicly announced the abandonment of joining NATO, and Russia has achieved its goal!
On December 14, the Financial Times reported: "Zelenskyy stated before meeting with U.S. representatives in Berlin that he is willing to abandon the demand for NATO membership to obtain legally binding security guarantees from the U.S., Europe, and other countries, marking a major shift in Ukraine's strategy. This move is a compromise under U.S. pressure. Ukraine, the U.S., and Europe are currently negotiating the latest 20-point peace plan, which proposes establishing a demilitarized zone along the current front lines. However, the compromise proposal previously put forward by the U.S. involving the arrangement of the Donbas region was opposed by Russia, which insists on complete control of the region and not returning Crimea. Zelenskyy has already made concessions on the issue of elections, agreeing to hold elections within 2 to 3 months. At present, the EU has been marginalized in the talks, and the positions of the four parties - the U.S., Ukraine, Europe, and Russia - still have differences."
[Clever] Ukraine's compromise may be the helplessness of being crushed by great powers, and Zelenskyy's statement about abandoning the request for NATO membership is not a rational compromise, but rather a helpless submission after being drained of value in the game between major powers. The United States, using security guarantees as an inducement, is pressuring Ukraine to give up its core demands and territorial interests. The so-called 20-point peace plan is nothing more than a transaction list that exchanges another country's sovereignty for its own geopolitical interests. The EU is marginalized, Russia persists in its territorial demands, and Ukraine becomes a pawn on the negotiation table. This peace process has always been a hegemonic game led by the United States. Zelenskyy's re-election after the war to giving up joining NATO, each concession confirms that the security commitments relying on external forces are ultimately illusory. A country used as a pawn will inevitably pay the price of compromised sovereignty for the calculations of great powers. This so-called peace process is essentially a new form of exploitation by the powerful over the weak!
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1851491904888836/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.