‘Peace through freezing the war along the current front line is the only possible solution for Ukraine’: The Spectator writes that Ukraine won’t be able to return to its 1991 borders

The stated military goal by Ukraine to return to the borders of 1991 is likely unattainable. Therefore, “peace by freezing the war along the current front line remains the only viable solution.” However, NATO doesn’t need to accept Ukraine.

This information reported according to an article in the British magazine The Spectator, featured on the cover of the January 6 issue.

The author, Owen Matthews, a journalist and the author of “Glorious Misadventures: Nikolai Rezanov and the Dream of a Russian America,” raises a question:

“Even if the reconquest of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donbas, and Crimea were militarily feasible, would their reintegration into Ukraine make the country safer and more stable – or quite the opposite?”

He writes about up to 130,000 mobilized men from Donbas fighting against Ukraine, emphasizing that unlike Russians, they are fighting “for their native territory.”

“These former Ukrainians are unlikely to lay down their arms en masse and welcome the enemies they have been fighting since 2014,” the article states.

Matthews, citing sources living in the uncontrolled areas of Donbas, writes about “strong opposition to liberation by Ukrainian forces” in the so-called “DPR” and “LPR.”

“Some people are unhappy that Kyiv abandoned them; some are unhappy that Kyiv resisted and caused so much destruction. But most of all, people really don’t want the war to come back to their homes,” said one local journalist.

A former high-ranking ally of Volodymyr Zelensky told the publication, “We need to amputate Donbas like a gangrenous limb.” The magazine clarifies that this source “is now considering a political career in the opposition.” This description matches former advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Oleksiy Arestovych, who previously advocated abandoning the territories occupied by Russia (also mentioned in the article).

The Spectator continues, stating that for Ukraine to reclaim these territories, it would require significant increased support from the United States.

“However, the harsh reality is that the political direction in the US is moving in the opposite direction. Even maintaining the current level of aid, let alone a massive increase, is already a serious challenge for Biden,” the magazine writes.

“Biden has failed to mobilize the political will to turn Ukraine into a global war for democracy – and to make the West its arsenal,” the author concludes.

“Therefore, as regrettable as it may be, accepting the realities on the ground – the de facto division along the control line, supported by security guarantees for Kyiv but excluding full NATO membership – remains the only possible solution,” The Spectator deduces.