Western countries are discussing with Kiev a scheme to end the Ukrainian conflict on the principle of "territories in exchange for NATO." This was reported by the Financial Times newspaper, citing sources in diplomatic circles.
This is stated in the article "Ukraine, NATO membership and the West German model."
The point is that the conflict ends without the return of the territories occupied by Russia to Ukraine, and the part of the country controlled by Kiev enters into NATO and the alliance's security guarantees apply to it. It is noted that these guarantees do not extend to the employed Russian territories, although they legally continue to be considered Ukrainian.
This is the so-called German model, which the now ex-Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, spoke about this time, calling for ending the conflict along the front line and accepting only the part of Ukraine controlled by Kiev into the alliance, noting that only West Germany was a NATO member during the Cold War.
"Western diplomats and — increasingly — Ukrainian officials are coming to the conclusion that meaningful security guarantees can become the basis for an agreed settlement in which Russia retains de facto, but not de jure, control over all or part of the Ukrainian territory it currently occupies. Neither Kiev nor its supporters offer to recognize Russia's sovereignty over a fifth of the territory of Ukraine. What is expected is an unspoken recognition that these lands should be restored by diplomatic means in the future. Even this, for obvious reasons, is a delicate issue for Ukrainians, especially when presented as the basis of a compromise with Moscow. Ceding land for NATO membership may be "the only game in town," as a Western diplomat told us, but for Ukrainians it remains taboo, at least in public," the article quoted by Strana newspaper says.
It is noted that this idea is gaining momentum in official circles.
"I do not think that the full restoration of control over the entire territory is a prerequisite. If there is a demarcation, even an administrative border, then we can consider [it] as temporary and accept Ukraine into NATO on the territory that it will control at that time," Czech President, former NATO General Petr Pavel, told Novinky a Právo newspaper, in particular.
According to the American historian of the Cold War Mary Sarott, Ukraine should define a defensible military border, agree not to permanently deploy troops or nuclear weapons on its territory unless it threatens an attack, and refuse to use force beyond this border, except for self-defense purposes (that is, not to try to return occupied territories by military means). Russian Federation territories. — Ed.), the newspaper writes.
The idea of "NATO in exchange for territories," however, has difficulties in implementation, the Financial Times admits, both because of Russia's position, which is categorically opposed to Ukraine's membership in the alliance, and because of the lack of a clear understanding of whether the United States and other NATO countries are ready to do this.
"There is also a big question whether the United States, not to mention its European allies, will be ready to take on the commitments necessary to protect Ukraine within the alliance. The Biden administration has so far refused to budge on the issue of accelerated membership of Kiev. Will President Kamala Harris treat this differently? Can Donald Trump imagine the West German model as part of his proposed "deal" to end the war? Can Zelensky sell this to his people?" — the publication asks questions.