Volodymyr Zelensky could privately agree to cede Russian-controlled territory to Putin in order to bring peace to his war-torn country, a Pentagon insider has claimed. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska on Friday for face-to-face talks on ending the war in Ukraine, with speculation flying around the possibility of a so-called “land for peace” deal. It is not known exactly what they will discuss, but land swapping has been a hotly debated topic throughout the protracted and so far unsuccessful road towards peace.
The Ukrainian president, not invited to the meeting, has been unwavering in his stance: Ukraine must reclaim the 19% of its territory occupied by Russia, including Crimea and parts of the Donbas region taken before the onset of the war. However, former Rear Admiral Mike Hewitt, an ex-deputy director at the Pentagon, said Mr Zelensky could privately renege on this promise, opting for “a negotiated occupation” with Russia.
He told the Express: “Privately, I do believe there is some space by which there can be a negotiated occupation – some kind of economic agreement. I wouldn’t call it neutral territory; the Russians occupy it, but it still is integral to Ukraine’s sovereignty.”
The security expert explained that it could be similar to North and South Korea, which were divided at the end of World War II and separated by a demilitarised zone (DMZ).
He said: “It’s not terribly different to the Koreas. The war hadn’t ended, but there was a ceasefire and then a DMZ.”
Mr Trump said he aims to get “prime territory” back for Ukraine, though his Russian counterpart wants the rest of Donetsk and effectively the entire Donbas region in the east.
Putin’s forces have been focusing their efforts on Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. They have taken nearly all of Luhansk in the east, but roughly 30% of the others are still controlled by Ukraine, though fiercely contested.
Giving up any of this land would leave Ukraine weak along its defensive lines and vulnerable to future offensives by Russia, Mr Zelensky said.
Mr Hewitt urged the country’s leader to secure a “rock-solid” agreement to prevent “future aggression” from Russia, or risk severe consequences from the United States and NATO.
He said: “The real negotiation on the Ukrainian side is not just to get a ceasefire but a defensive security agreement that is rock-solid in terms of Russia’s potential future aggression.
“What the Ukrainians need is to have the United States and NATO in a firm agreement that any future aggression by Russia will be met with the full force of the United States and NATO in partnership with Ukraine.”