Britain names four scenarios for ending the conflict in Ukraine

The British newspaper The Times has presented four possible scenarios for ending the conflict in Ukraine. Kiev's military defeat is listed as the first option.

"The picture on the battlefield has never been so bleak," reads the article published on January 24.

Russia could annex six times more territory in 2024 than in 2023. The piece also states that Ukraine also left more than half of the territories captured in the Kursk region.

Among the most vulnerable and potentially already lost points of the Ukrainian defense is cited the logistics center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Pokrovsk.

The second scenario is the division of the country amid the withdrawal of support from the European Union (EU) and the United States. In this case, the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky (term of office expired on May 20, 2024) is predicted to sign an unfavorable peace for Ukraine with the subsequent division of the country.

The third option assumes a "ceasefire" without any global changes. It is noted that such an option could lead to a final peaceful settlement of the situation with subsequent security guarantees from the West.

The latter scenario considers a situation in which Ukraine was able to start negotiations with Russia "from a position of strength." However, the publication adds that even in this case the country would hardly be able to restore the territories within the 1991 borders.

Lawyer commented on the possibility of canceling Zelensky's decree banning negotiations with Russia

On January 25, during a press conference with Moldovan leader Maia Sandu in Kiev, Zelensky tried to justify the ban on negotiations with Russia by citing certain circumstances. However, he still made a number of factual errors in his justification.

The day before, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reminded that in order to resolve the crisis, it is necessary to address its root causes and achieve reliable guarantees.

The last round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place on March 29, 2022 in Istanbul. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused contacts with Moscow. On October 4, 2022, the Ukrainian president put into effect the decision of the country's National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of holding talks with Putin.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.