Former NATO commander James Stavridis gave his forecast for how the Russian-Ukrainian war will end.
This was reported by URA-Inform with reference to Newsweek.
US President-elect Donald Trump has previously said that if he sat down with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the war between the two Eastern European countries would be over “within 24 hours.”
Stavridis, a retired admiral who frequently appears on television networks to share his expertise on international affairs, told CNN's Michael Smerconish on Saturday that if Trump can end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours, “I'll be the first to vote for him for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
“What I hope he will do, and I think he will do, is put pressure on both sides to come to the negotiating table, and it will be like the end of the Korean War, Michael. I mean, unfortunately, in the real world, Putin will end up with about 20 percent of Ukraine, the piece that he holds now, but the rest of Ukraine, the 80 percent, all those resources, the vast majority of the population, they will remain democratic and free,” Stavridis said.
He added that Ukraine would also get “a path to NATO, probably within three to five years, realistically. It's not the worst outcome in the world.
Asked by Newsweek how long he thought negotiations would realistically take once Trump takes office, Stavridis responded by email on Saturday:
“Keep in mind that a negotiated settlement is not something the US can impose, but something the Ukrainians and Russians have to agree on. Negotiating a ceasefire and a final settlement will take months. Ukraine joining NATO could be a few years,” he added.
The Telegraph, however, has revealed a date for when negotiations between Ukraine and Russia could begin.
