Former NATO official: Ukraine may need to accept partial loss of territory

It is unrealistic for Kyiv to expect to regain 100% of its territory, and Ukrainians are beginning to understand this, says former NATO Assistant Secretary General Camille Grand.

According to sources quoted by The New York Times, the most probable outcome of the war in Ukraine is the "freezing" of the conflict, Caliber.Az reports.

"More and more, we are hearing in Washington and Europe that it is unrealistic for Kyiv to expect to regain 100% of its territory, and Ukrainians are beginning to understand this," Grand noted.

She noted that Ukrainians may be willing to tolerate the Russian occupation of certain territories for a period, but she emphasised that this would necessitate a demilitarisation of the frontline.

Grand also asserted that, under such circumstances, Ukrainians would seek "super guarantees of security" to prevent the resumption of hostilities from Russia in five years’ time.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed concerns that the anticipated arrival of thousands of North Korean soldiers to bolster Russian forces could extend the nearly three-year-long conflict beyond the current front lines.

According to Western leaders, North Korea is believed to have dispatched approximately 10,000 soldiers to support Russia's military efforts. They caution that North Korea's involvement in a European war could have ramifications for relations in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly affecting nations like Japan and Australia.

In a conversation with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Zelenskyy revealed that around 3,000 North Korean troops are already stationed at military bases near the Ukrainian front and anticipates that their numbers could rise to 12,000.

Pentagon Spokesperson Patrick Ryder confirmed on October 29 that a “relatively small number” of North Korean troops are currently in Russia’s Kursk region, an area where Russian forces have been struggling to repel a Ukrainian incursion. Additionally, he noted that a couple of thousand more North Korean soldiers are en route to the region.

By Aghakazim Guliyev