President Zelenskyy should dismiss any idea of joining NATO in the near future.
However, he has the freedom of association to be part of any international organisation and any European organisation.
Ukraine can have a joint military exercise with NATO in the near future. NATO’s expansion eastward is already bitter in the mouth of President Vladimir Putin.
George Kennan, American’s foreign policy strategist, was the architect of the US Cold War strategy. As early as 1998, he warned that NATO expansion was a “tragic mistake” that ought to ultimately provoke “a bad reaction from Russia.”
hen Kissinger, in 2014, warned that “to Russia, Ukraine can never be just a foreign country” and that the West therefore needed a policy that was aimed at “reconciliation." He was adamant that “Ukraine should not join NATO.”
NATO-Russia Council
Putin accommodated NATO by allowing the formation of the NATO-Russia Council, which meant NATO and Russia had not confronted each other.
There has been earlier warning by international relations experts that expansion of NATO to the territory of Ukraine can result in a conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
An attempt to draw Ukraine into NATO provoked President Putin, and that is one of the major reasons Russia invaded Ukraine.
For security guarantees, Ukraine would have wished to be a member of NATO.
They must consider the security implications for European stability.
Even where Ukraine has not been admitted into NATO, the winds of destructions blowing across Europe is evident of the fatal consequences should Ukraine be admitted fully as a member.
European leaders support all initiatives to end the war, but Zelenskyy must take bold steps, strike a deal with Russia to end the war and end civilian casualties.
Independent decisions
The war is fought on the soil of Ukraine.
Ukrainians are facing the rough, blunt edges of the war.
Zelenskyy would need to make some independent decisions; though he receives military assistance and financial support from the West, the destiny of Ukraine is at stake.
One key element to be considered in any future peace talks is the language policy.
One side of the conflict is ethnic based; an attempt to suppress the use of the Russian language in the heavily Russified areas has been added to Putin’s provocations.
Ukrainian language automatically becomes the official state language, but there must be a balance between the use of the Russian language and the Ukrainian language.
The majority of the population in Kyiv speaks the Russian language.
The population consists of Ukrainian Russophones and ethnic Russians.
The language policy question would feature prominently in the post-conflict peacebuilding, but we must start talking about it now.
What Zelenskyy must know
President Trump is interested in the rejuvenation of US-Russian relations since the annexation of Crimea in 2014 by Russia.
US-Russia relations have been in bad shape.
This has slowed economic diplomacy and reduced trade activities to a minimum.
Sanctions have been piled on Russia since then. Trump is in a hurry to strike trade relations with Russia to boost his economy, especially in the area of energy.
Trump will not sell the birthrights of Americans in exchange for Ukraine's security and welfare. Putin is also interested in revitalising economic ties with the United States.
The time is ripe for Zelenskyy to have an intelligent appreciation of the political scenario.
What Is Expected Of President Vladimir Putin
Ukrainian drones have unmistakably hit Russia's energy and other critical infrastructure, so the President should withdraw from a disposition to doubt Ukrainian capability to respond to any Russian missile attack.
Russia has carried out a series of missile attacks and bombings on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Even though Russia has a bigger defence budget than Ukraine, it is advisable to accelerate any peace processes towards ending the conflict.
The funds directed into funding the war should be used to improve the standard of living of the people of Russia.
The International Community is not interested in who wins the war but rather in constructive mediation processes that will end the war.
The Controversies
President Trump should be preparing to end the war with Iran as a peacemaker to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
He must strike a peace deal with Iran at the negotiating table in the coming days.
He must soften his stance on Iran's demands for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
The President must not employ any coercion in diplomacy but must allow fair play in the peace process.
The President should avoid confrontational tactics so that Iran will see the President as a colleague, a member state of the United Nations.
Two World Leaders
The two world leaders have defiled the UN Charter and have sidestepped International Humanitarian Law.
Human rights have been neglected in dealing with Iran and Ukraine.
Putin has been silent on Iran, probably because of the unfinished assignment in Ukraine.
Trump still believes he can continue the war, an unfinished mission.
Trump has stepped up to negotiate for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, while his hands are tainted with iniquitous actions in Iran.
The International community is not interested in the personalities involved in the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine and Iran, but in the solutions to the end of the conflict.
The Expectation From UN
The UN expects Russia and Ukraine to conform to international legal order.
The UN stands for the renunciation of the use of force under any pretext and in any form in the resolution of the conflict.
The UN will continue to remind states of their responsibility and the code of offences.
The code of offences must be noted by Russia and Ukraine.
The International Criminal Court may take note of the activities of some individuals and will look at them at the post-conflict peacebuilding stage.
The UN will continue to encourage political dialogue between Russia and Ukraine to resolve the conflict.
