Ukraineโฃ Faces Mounting Pressure as โPeace Plan Demands concessions,โ Internal Crisis โขDeepens
KYIV,โค Ukraine โ(AP) – โ Ukrainian President โคVolodymyr Zelenskyy is navigating a confluence of crisesโข – a potentialโค peaceโ plan requiring meaningful โขterritorial concessions to Russia, a renewed offensive along the front lines, and a domestic corruptionโค scandal – creating a โฃmoment of acute vulnerability for the war-torn nation. A draft proposal, โobtained by the Associated press, outlines a plan for ending โฃthe war that would grantโข russia effective controlโข ofโ theโข entire eastern Donbas region and limit theโข size of Ukraine’s military,โข demands Zelenskyy has previously rejected as “unconstitutional and unjust.”
Theโ proposed plan comes as Russia intensifies its military pressure, โคmaking steadyโข advances in the northeastern Kharkiv region, targeting Kupiansk and Lyman, and engaging in โfierce battles aroundโ the strategically criticallyโ important city of Pokrovsk in the donetsk region. Together,Russian attacks on ukraine’s power plants inโข November have triggered โsome of the most severe electricity shortages since theโ war began in early 2022. โ
Zelenskyy acknowledged the challenging choices Ukraine โขmay โface, stating on Friday the country risks “losing its dignity or โthe risk of losingโ a key partner,”โ seemingly referencing potential wavering U.S. support. โTheโ timing of the peace plan’s emergence coincides with aโข corruption scandal within Ukraine, prompting concerns that external actors โฃare exploiting the โขinternal turmoil โฃto push for concessions.
“The timing isโ very damaging forโข Ukraine,” saeid Orysia Lutsevych, โคa Ukraine expert at Chatham House. “Zelenskyy is vulnerable. Both the U.S. and Russia (saw)โ the domestic scandal and decided to put more pressureโค on him to concede โฃto a Russianโค plan.”
despite the pressure, โขzelenskyyโ urged Ukrainians to unite, stating, “It will โbeโ much easier for me to achieve a decentโ peace โfor us โฆ knowingโค that the nation of โฃUkraineโ is behind me.” โThough,โ Europeanโค allies are reportedly defending Ukraine and voicing opposition to โthe proposed plan, possibly โขmitigating some ofโฃ the โpressure.
