Ukraine peace talk preparations ‘have already started’

Muhammad Amin

Ukraine is secretly preparing for peace negotiations with Russia, expected to take place next year, the beleagured country’s deputy spy chief says.

And Donald Trump’s election camp has revealed to Britain’s Telegraph newspaper a detailed Ukraine-Russia peace plan has already been drawn up. The Trump camp is not disclosing it before his election campaign in an effort to maintain leverage against the Russians and the Democrats.

Republican officials told The Telegraph Trump wants to style himself as “the only candidate who can end the war”.

“He wants to stop the killing,” said the source. “That’s the bumper sticker: Trump will stop the killing.”

Ukraine’s deputy spy boss, Maj Gen Vadym Skibitsky, told the Economist both sides were vying for the most favourable position ahead of possible talks next year.

The prospect of a peace deal with Russia has re-emerged as Ukraine’s forces – running low on manpower and ammunition – suffer setback after setback on the battlefield.

Skibitsky says the Ukraine conflict can end only with negotiations. Ukraine cannot with the war alone, not can it push Russia back to the border. Such a war “can only end with treaties”, he said.

In the mean time, Russian offensives in the the northwestern regions of Kharkiv and Sumy are also expected as Moscow seeks to strengthen its hand.

Skibitsky painted a gloomy picture of Ukraine’s battlefield prospects, with particular concern for Chasiv Yar, a town occupying high-ground near Bakhmut, which Russia could soon capture.

Seizing Chasiv Yar would allow Russian forces to advance on nearby towns and cities in the Donetsk region.

Skibitsky warned that Russia’s army was no longer the disorganised rabble that Ukraine repelled from some regions with such success in the early stages of the war.

Now, it is a “single body, with a clear plan, and under a single command”, he said.

Behind the scenes, Ukrainian and Western leaders accept the war will most likely end in negotiations. The crucial question is which side will have performed the strongest on the battlefield at that point