NEW YORK, January 13. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities have put all thought of retaking territories in the country’s east on hold amid a difficult situation on the frontline and are watching political signals from Moscow and Washington, with days before US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, CNN said in an analytical article.
"With just a week before Donald Trump re-enters the White House, Ukraine is bracing for some tough choices in the coming months. Its troops are on the backfoot against Russia along several parts of the long frontline, it is short of experienced soldiers and doubtful that military aid will continue to arrive at anything like the current rate," the article reads.
As a result, Kiev "waits and watches the signals from Moscow and Washington and reiterates almost daily its desire for a 'just peace.' Any thought of recovering the territory <...> is on indefinite hold."
According to CNN, Kiev’s goal is to hold the territory it currently controls. The media outlet cited Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov who said at a Ramstein group meeting in Germany last week that "Ukraine’s priorities this year would be stabilizing the frontline and strengthening its defense capabilities."
The article also points out that conditions for peace are not yet ripe because of major differences in the positions of Russia and Ukraine and uncertainty about what Trump will do to fulfill his promise to end the conflict.
On June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin set forth the conditions for resolving the situation in Ukraine at a meeting with senior Foreign Ministry officials. His terms included Ukraine withdrawing troops from Donbass and Novorossiya and abandoning plans to join NATO. In addition, Moscow said that all Western sanctions must be lifted and Ukraine’s non-bloc and non-nuclear status must be guaranteed, while Ukraine must ensure the rights, freedoms and interests of its Russian-speaking citizens.