West rethinking stance on Ukraine – Le Figaro

Kiev’s setbacks on the frontline are causing Western backers to change their position on how the conflict between Russia and Ukraine should be resolved, Le Figaro has reported.

After 30 months of fighting, the idea of a negotiated settlement is being “discreetly” discussed in the US, EU and even in Ukraine, the French newspaper said in an article on Monday.

Russian forces continue to “slowly but steadily” advance in Donbass, approaching the strategic town of Pokrovsk, the outlet noted. “In the West, it is increasingly openly acknowledged that Donbass and Crimea are beyond the military reach of the Ukrainians,” it added.

Kiev’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region may have achieved its political objectives, but, contrary to Ukraine’s hopes, did not lead to Moscow withdrawing forces from other parts of the frontline, Le Figaro stressed.

According to the article, Washington is refusing to allow Kiev to carry out long-range strikes into Russian territory over fears of escalation with Moscow, including the risk of nuclear war. “Whoever the US president is [after the election in November], the aid will decrease and the war will not be sustainable for the Ukrainians,” an unnamed French official told Le Figaro.

Germany recently announced a reduction in military aid to Ukraine, while France has “lost the initiative” in supporting Kiev after President Emmanuel Macron dissolved parliament in June, the paper said. The West also “misjudged” the strength of Russia’s ties with its allies in the Global South and Asia, including China, Iran and North Korea, it added.

A high-ranking French diplomat told Le Figaro that Paris is now calling for a “lasting and negotiated solution to the war, with Ukraine being in a position of strength to assert its rights and security against Russia.”

The outlet said that, according to its data, a new “peace summit” on Ukraine could be held after the US election in November in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The first such gathering took place in Switzerland this summer, but failed to deliver any concrete results.

The West must figure out “what could be considered a victory for Ukraine,” a French official insisted. “Is the most important thing to have a territorial victory, which implies continuing to fight to recover the regions occupied by the Russians? Or is it obtaining a political victory, that is to say, a free and democratic country, turned towards the West, engaged in the EU and NATO, even if it means giving up, temporarily, the occupied territories?” he said.

In early September, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Moscow has “never refused” talks with Ukraine, but will not discuss the current “ephemeral demands” coming from Kiev.