Ukraine to retain sovereignty despite territorial loss, says expert
- Ukraine will lose part of its territory but will retain its sovereignty and independence - predicts Witold Jurasz, a former Polish diplomat and currently a journalist and columnist for Onet, in the "Didaskalia" program. According to him, such a scenario is - contrary to common opinions - a success. The expert also assessed Donald Trump's alarming statements.
In a conversation with WP journalist Patrycjusz Wyżga, Jurasz discussed Donald Trump's concerning remarks made before his inauguration. The President-elect did not rule out sending American troops to Greenland, which he perceives as part of the USA. He also stated that the Gulf of Mexico should be renamed the American Gulf, and threatened to take control of the Panama Canal.
- This is something extraordinary. Of course, it can be explained as a negotiation strategy, suggesting that it's a method, and it's "cool," because, after all, we have a sheriff. But the problem is that the sheriff seems a bit unbalanced - Jurasz assessed.
He observed that the White House's policy under Trump will be unpredictable. According to him, even some members of Trump's future administration do not fully understand the policies they will need to implement after January 20.
Jurasz also shared unofficial reports suggesting Donald Trump's physical condition is not the best. - Apparently, his functioning time during the day is not very long. The President is tired and takes naps during the day. Now the question is, who will be effectively leading American policy then? - wonders the guest of "Didaskalia".
End of the war soon? "They overbid"
Jurasz forecasts that the war in Ukraine will end in 2025. However, he adds that peace negotiations could be lengthy.
- A characteristic of Russian foreign policy (...) is that they overbid. This means that even if they have quite reasonable terms on the table, they do not go for a "deal" because they are deeply convinced they can gain even more - Jurasz states.
He pointed out that Trump has realized this too, as there are comments from his entourage indicating that ending the military actions will take more time than the 24 hours promised during the election campaign.
The WP guest assessed that as a result of talks, Ukraine will lose part of its territory but retain its sovereignty and independence. – In Poland, some voices suggest that if it ends this way, meaning Ukraine does not recover all territories, it will be a failure. This is not true because the very fact that Ukrainians are defending themselves in a war against a nuclear superpower is a success - Jurasz said.
- And secondly, it is in our interest that they believe it is a success, and not that we convince them it is a failure, because it is in our interest that Ukraine comes out with a sense of satisfaction, and not a sense of defeat - added the expert.
Breakthrough in the case of exhumations in Volhynia? Expert cools optimism
Patrycjusz Wyżga also asked his guest about one of Polish PM Donald Tusk's recent posts. The Prime Minister stated that there was a "breakthrough" in the matter of exhumations of Poles murdered by UPA.
Jurasz, in response, cited a concept presented to him in a conversation by the new head of the Polish embassy in Kyiv, Piotr Łukasiewicz. It assumes that Poland "separates the issue of exhumations from the issue of commemorations."
- Translating this from diplomatic to normal language, it boils down to the fact that the victims will be buried, but it will not necessarily state who murdered them. In that case, it will not be a breakthrough because it would mean that Russia has gone further than Ukraine; as in the Katyń cemetery, it is written who murdered the people buried there, and in the Volhynian cemeteries, as I understand it, there will be no such inscription – Jurasz assessed.
- Considering the help (that Poland provided to Ukraine after the outbreak of full-scale war - red.), one could expect something more from the Ukrainian side - he summed up.
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