The end of the Ukraine war could look a lot like that of the Korean War, with parts of Ukraine remaining occupied by Russian forces, says a former NATO supreme allied commander.
“Ultimately, this will end like the Korean War, meaning that Russia will probably still have control of some portion of Ukraine, Crimea, the land bridge to Russia,” retired US Navy Adm. James Stavridis said on “The Cats Roundtable,” a radio interview that aired on Sunday.
“On the other hand, I see Ukraine coming into NATO,” Stavridis added.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The long-drawn conflict has seen Russia grappling with the West’s crippling sanctions and Ukraine leaning on Western support for their war efforts.
“Both Russia and Ukraine are increasingly exhausted by this war in terms of their military capability and in terms of the economic sanctions that are being applied on both sides,” Stavridis told radio host John Catsimatidis.
“When I kind of put it all together, John, I think toward the end of this year, probably after the US elections, we’ve got a moment for potential negotiation,” Stavridis said.
In September 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree saying peace talks were “impossible” with Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin.
Later, in November 2022, Zelenskyy unveiled his “peace formula.” Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan called for the withdrawal of Russian forces and the restoration of Ukraine’s state borders with Russia.
Zelenskyy’s proposal was rejected by Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, who said they wouldn’t be used as a basis for negotiations.
Representatives for Stavridis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
