Ex-NATO Leader Forecasts Conclusion of Ukraine Conflict
James Stavridis has indicated that he would support Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize nomination if the president-elect is able to resolve the conflict within a day, as he claimed. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
James Stavridis has expressed his willingness to support Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize if the president-elect can resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours, as he has boasted.
Stavridis, a retired admiral and former NATO commander, predicted that the Ukraine conflict will conclude with Russia retaining about 20% of the territory it held before 2014. During a conversation with CNN’s Michael Smerconish on Saturday, he suggested that Ukraine may also become part of the European Union.
“Putin will hate that part of it, just like the Ukrainians will hate the part of Putin holding onto 20 percent of their country. But it’s a negotiation,” Stavridis noted.
He further remarked that he would be “the first one voting for his Nobel Peace Prize” if Trump could indeed end the conflict swiftly. Trump has previously claimed that he could resolve the situation within the first 24 hours of his presidency, although he did not provide specific details on how he would achieve this.
“What I hope he does, and I think he will, is put pressure on both sides to get to the negotiating table,” Stavridis explained.
He mentioned that Ukraine would likely have a “path to NATO, probably three to five years” down the line, and also predicted that any agreement would likely involve “some kind of demilitarized zone” monitored by NATO soldiers, likely Europeans rather than Americans.
“A negotiated settlement is not something the US can impose, but for the Ukrainians and Russians to agree upon,” he told Newsweek later on Saturday, adding that a lasting resolution to the conflict, which intensified in 2022, might require several months.
In October, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced his 'victory plan,' demanding immediate NATO membership. Russian President Vladimir Putin has characterized Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO as an existential threat, which he cites as one of the primary causes of the ongoing conflict.
Zelensky has reiterated that Ukraine intends to continue fighting until it reinstates its 1991 borders, which would necessitate reclaiming territories such as the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, the Kherson Region, the Zaporozhye Region, and Crimea from Russian control.
Russia has indicated a willingness to engage in discussions, provided they begin with the recognition of “territorial reality,” meaning that it believes the regions mentioned will not return to Ukrainian sovereignty.
Additionally, earlier discussions saw US Vice President-elect J.D. Vance suggesting that the conflict might be frozen along the current front lines, which would require Ukraine to forfeit its claims to territories controlled by Russia and abandon its NATO ambitions.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
Stavridis, a retired admiral and former NATO commander, predicted that the Ukraine conflict will conclude with Russia retaining about 20% of the territory it held before 2014. During a conversation with CNN’s Michael Smerconish on Saturday, he suggested that Ukraine may also become part of the European Union.
“Putin will hate that part of it, just like the Ukrainians will hate the part of Putin holding onto 20 percent of their country. But it’s a negotiation,” Stavridis noted.
He further remarked that he would be “the first one voting for his Nobel Peace Prize” if Trump could indeed end the conflict swiftly. Trump has previously claimed that he could resolve the situation within the first 24 hours of his presidency, although he did not provide specific details on how he would achieve this.
“What I hope he does, and I think he will, is put pressure on both sides to get to the negotiating table,” Stavridis explained.
He mentioned that Ukraine would likely have a “path to NATO, probably three to five years” down the line, and also predicted that any agreement would likely involve “some kind of demilitarized zone” monitored by NATO soldiers, likely Europeans rather than Americans.
“A negotiated settlement is not something the US can impose, but for the Ukrainians and Russians to agree upon,” he told Newsweek later on Saturday, adding that a lasting resolution to the conflict, which intensified in 2022, might require several months.
In October, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced his 'victory plan,' demanding immediate NATO membership. Russian President Vladimir Putin has characterized Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO as an existential threat, which he cites as one of the primary causes of the ongoing conflict.
Zelensky has reiterated that Ukraine intends to continue fighting until it reinstates its 1991 borders, which would necessitate reclaiming territories such as the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, the Kherson Region, the Zaporozhye Region, and Crimea from Russian control.
Russia has indicated a willingness to engage in discussions, provided they begin with the recognition of “territorial reality,” meaning that it believes the regions mentioned will not return to Ukrainian sovereignty.
Additionally, earlier discussions saw US Vice President-elect J.D. Vance suggesting that the conflict might be frozen along the current front lines, which would require Ukraine to forfeit its claims to territories controlled by Russia and abandon its NATO ambitions.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
