Zelenskyy: Final peace deal with Russia may never happen
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine is not considering a Korean, Finnish, or any other model for ending the war. However, it is possible that a final peace agreement may not be reached.
This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a conversation with journalists on September 19.
Zelenskyy was asked whether a Korean scenario for ending the war is being discussed and whether a ceasefire agreement could be signed without the participation of Ukraine and Russia, as was the case with the Koreas.
The head of state emphasized that Ukraine has a different history from South and North Korea. According to him, discussions about one scenario or another are rhetorical. The point was that the war could end without a final peace treaty.
"Here’s what we meant. And this relates to the conversation about security guarantees – why Ukraine needs them. It may happen that there will be no final document to end the war. That’s why, for example, French President Macron says that security guarantees should not wait for the war to end. And I agree with him that, for instance, a ceasefire is enough to provide security guarantees," he said.
Zelenskyy is convinced that security guarantees are needed before a potential peace agreement.
"No one is considering the Korean, Finnish, or any other model. Because we have what we have. And no one knows what will ultimately happen. But we know the first step. We know which security guarantees are important to us. Guarantees that will prevent the Russians from launching new aggression. Even if they try, they will face resistance. Real resistance," the president added.
Prospects for ending the war
Recall that in 2023, then-Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov said that Moscow wants to impose a so-called Korean scenario for ending the war in Ukraine, which would involve freezing the conflict and dividing the country, as happened with South Korea and North Korea.
Recently, President Zelenskyy acknowledged that a Korean scenario is possible for Ukraine. However, he emphasized that Seoul has a major ally in the United States, which will not allow North Korea to take control of its neighbor.
It is worth noting that analysts at JPMorgan previously modeled four scenarios for ending Russia's war against Ukraine: the Georgian, South Korean, Belarusian, and Israeli models.
