Both Ukraine and Russia refused such a proposal, but it unblocked the “tank coalition”.
In mid-January 2023, US President Joe Biden instructed CIA Director William Burns to check the readiness of Ukraine and Russia for negotiations. Burns proposed to end the war for Ukrainian territories.
Burns offered Kyiv “the world in exchange for land”, and Moscow – “land in exchange for the world”. It was allegedly about 20% of the territory of Ukraine, which roughly coincides with the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
It is noted that Kyiv has given up on the division of Ukrainian territory, while Moscow still hopes to win the war in the long term. The publication notes that the rejection of such a plan could be the reason for making decisions regarding the provision of Western tanks to Ukraine.
Journalists write that it was after these trips by the CIA director that the US president decided to give in to the insistence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and decide to provide Ukraine with Abrams battle tanks. This is what unlocked Berlin’s position regarding the transfer of Leopard 2 – both from the reserves of other states and from its own.
At the same time, according to NZZ, Biden’s decision came as a surprise to Scholz. Therefore, his decision regarding the Leopard 2 tanks could also have been spontaneous, rather than premeditated, as the German side suggested.
The end of the war in Ukraine: a forecast
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that the Russian occupiers are currently in a specific stage, when Russia’s strategic defeat is already clear. However, tactically, they still have the resources to attempt offensive actions.
Military expert Oleg Zhdanov predicts that the hot phase of the war in Ukraine may end before the fall, if all circumstances work out in the most successful way. In his opinion, the previously voiced predictions that the Armed Forces could enter the borders by the summer of 1991 are no longer relevant.
At the same time, the adviser to the head of the President’s Office Mykhailo Podolyak said that there is no way to agree with Russia on ending the war, and therefore Ukraine must win this war.
