Fixing the front line is not surrender, but the reality of war: is Ukraine ready to give up the occupied territories?
22 April 16:59
OPINION
Current discussions in the media about Ukraine’s alleged readiness to “leave” the occupied territories do not reflect the real meaning of the Ukrainian government’s position. In fact, there is no question of any voluntary abandonment of Ukrainian lands, but only a statement of the de facto situation.
This was stated by political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko in an exclusive commentary for "Komersant Ukrainian".
“When we hear the wording that President Zelensky is allegedly ready to leave some of the territories, this is incorrect. It’s not about someone deliberately giving or transferring something. We need to understand that these territories have been under Russian control for a long time. Crimea has been occupied since 2014, which is 11 years. Part of Donbas has been occupied as well. And most of the land that Russia controls today was seized back in 2022,” the expert explained.
According to him, it is important not to confuse the recognition of the de facto state of affairs with the political or legal recognition of Russian jurisdiction over the occupied lands. Ukraine, like its officials, does not use terms that would indicate an agreement to “leave” these territories.
“We are talking only about a ceasefire. It is about stopping active hostilities. Relatively speaking, to fix the situation at the front as it is now. This does not mean that Ukraine is giving up its territories. It only means that at this stage there is no other realistic option to stop the bloodshed,” noted Fesenko.
At the same time, he warned against excessive drama in assessments of this initiative, particularly in the international media.
“We do not need to be specially prepared for this. Such a scenario for ending the war – a ceasefire without a political agreement – was obvious long before Trump began to claim the presidency. This is not a sensation. This is an option that has been discussed since 2022, especially among experts,” Fesenko said.
The political scientist also draws attention to the information component.
“When the New York Times or other Western media write that Trump is allegedly putting pressure on Ukraine, they often present it in a dramatic way. They say that Trump is forcing Kyiv to give in, and that he is almost acting as an agent of the Kremlin. But in reality, Trump is simply choosing the most direct and understandable path – a ceasefire,” the expert explained.
Fesenko emphasized that this option is not a surrender or a peace agreement. It is rather a pause.
“This is not a solution to the problem. It is only a temporary cessation of hostilities. What happens next depends on many factors. But so far, there are simply no other options for ending the war in the short term. The alternative is to continue the fighting, with unpredictable consequences. And with an unknown end,” the expert summarized.
It should be noted that the media are currently actively discussing the topic of possible territorial concessions by Ukraine to Russia, but Kyiv’s official position remains unchanged: there will be no concessions to the aggressor.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has repeatedly stated that it has not received any official proposals from the United States or other partners regarding territorial concessions. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi emphasized that any Russian encroachments on Ukrainian land are null and void and have no legal force.
Instead, some Western media and politicians have expressed opinions about possible concessions. For example, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Ukraine may have to make concessions on the territories that Russia has seized since 2014 as part of any agreement to end the war.
At the same time, the head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Refat Chubarov, noted that the administration of US President Donald Trump is testing the Ukrainian authorities with signals about possible territorial concessions from Kyiv in exchange for peace.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to insist on controlling the occupied territories. In particular, at the talks in Saudi Arabia, the Kremlin demanded full control over four regions of Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
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