Ukraine’s offer to sacrifice land to Russia is a ‘major concession’ – but shows Zelensky is ‘plaing a very sophisticated game’, top diplomat says

Ukraine’s offer to sacrifice land to Russia is ‘a major concession’ to satisfy Donald Trump, a top UK diplomat said yesterday.

Sir Tony Brenton, former UK ambassador to Russia, said president Volodymyr Zelensky was ‘playing a very sophisticated game’ in calling for Ukrainian-controlled territories to come under the Nato umbrella.

‘He knows that Donald Trump is about to descend on him and on Russia,’ Sir Tony said. ‘He is already arranging to have something to offer Trump on Trump’s mission to bring the war to an end.

‘What he is suggesting in many ways is bringing us much closer to the obvious target area, which is a freeze in the fighting where the lines actually currently are and then an eventual negotiation about who retains which bit of territory, and then security guarantees for Ukraine in the course of that ceasefire.’

The ex-ambassador told Sky News that Zelensky had made ‘quite a major concession’ in stating he is prepared to see a ceasefire and then negotiate the return of Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine over the long term.

But he said Moscow may regard his offer in a different light to the incoming US president. ‘Putin will see this as a concession by Zelensky,’ said Sir Tony, who served in Moscow for four years to 2008. He will say to himself, ‘Ah, they are feeling weak, I can press for more’. That is a danger as we go into this.’

Zelensky’s remarks on Friday signalled a possible way forward for Ukraine to join Nato.

At a summit in Washington in July, the 32 members of the alliance declared Ukraine to be on an ‘irreversible path’ to membership.

Sir Tony Benton said president Zelensky was ‘playing a very sophisticated game’ in calling for Ukrainian-controlled territories to come under the Nato umbrella

Volodymyr Zelensky with US President-elect Donald Trump in New Y September

But one obstacle has been the view that Ukraine’s borders would need to be clearly demarcated before it could join, so that there could be no mistaking where Nato’s pact of mutual defence would come into effect.

‘If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should take under the Nato umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control,’ president Zelensky said.

‘That’s what we need to do, fast.

‘And then Ukraine can get back the other part of its territory diplomatically.’

Any decision for Ukraine to join the military alliance would require the agreement of all member states.