UK claims an early peace deal with Russia could be destructive for Ukraine in long run

Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, the United Kingdom raised concerns that some of its allies could force the war-torn country to settle and make significant concessions in peace talks with Russia, The Times reported on Friday. According to the media report, it is possible that the United States, France and Germany could force Ukraine to secure an early peace deal that could be destructive for Kyiv in the long run. Citing its sources in the UK government office, the British newspaper learnt that the senior UK officials are now concerned about the position of some of its closest allies and asserted "a settlement should be reached only when Kyiv is in the strongest possible position".

"Some of our allies may be too eager for Zelenskyy to settle. We think Ukraine needs to be in the strongest possible position militarily before those talks can take place," The Times quoted a government official as saying.  

Besides the government officials, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during a telephonic conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had raised similar concerns, according to The Times. The report said that Johnson had even warned Zelenskyy that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a liar and a bully who could use the peace talks that could favour Moscow. On the other hand, the report said that the Ukrainian President also echoed a similar position and added that it could be possible that Putin could use the chance to exploit Kyiv further.  

According to a senior UK government official, Putin could use the peace talks to make significant concessions on sanctions.  Meanwhile, on Tuesday, sixth rounds of talks were held between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations with lots of hopes to end the war immediately. Though Moscow, on Tuesday, claimed that the talks were constructive, Kremlin claimed there was no breakthrough. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was a “positive factor” that Ukraine has submitted its written proposals but added he saw no breakthrough. On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to host a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders during a telephonic conversation with the Ukrainian President. However, there were no constructive replies came from Putin's side.  

Russia-Ukraine war

Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the independence of breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin's action came despite the West's repetitive warning and speculations about his ill intention to invade Ukraine. On February 24, the Russian troops started a military operation against Ukraine. Since then, it has been bombarding several cities in Ukraine, resulting in the killing of thousands of civilians. On Friday, Zelenskyy appealed to his Russian counterpart to end the war immediately but added that he would not let the Russian forces take a single piece of Ukrainian land. 

Image: AP