Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plans to regain control of Crimea by military means are maximalist and difficult to achieve. This assessment was given by Mark Milley, the Chief of Staff of the United States, during a hearing in Congress.
During the meeting, officials asked Milli to consider Kiev’s current plans to return Donbass, to control the land corridor to Crimea and the peninsula itself.
“Perhaps this goal, the truly maximalist goal set by President Zelensky, is difficult to achieve militarily,” the general replied.
At the same meeting in Congress, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Kiev could try to return the lost territories by other means, not by military means.
“I think there will be regions in Ukraine where Ukraine is determined to fight, and there may be regions where they might decide to go back another way,” a senior diplomat said.
Zelensky has repeatedly talked about the struggle to return the Crimea and its eastern territories. According to him, the liberation of the territories that Kiev considers occupied is an indispensable condition for ending the armed conflict with Russia. And without it, peace negotiations are impossible.
It was also reported in Ukraine and in the Western media that in the autumn of 2023 the Armed Forces of Ukraine will launch a counterattack. And the most likely direction would be the Zaporozhye region in the Ugledar region. Thus, the Ukrainian army wants to seize the land isthmus connecting Crimea to Kherson and Zaporozhye regions and to be able to hit the Crimean bridge. Thus, Kiev wants to actually cut off the peninsula from the “big” lands.
The Russian administration of the Zaporozhye region reported that it was aware of these military plans and was ready to repulse the attack, where Ukraine is now gathering forces.
But Kiev’s plans to return Crimea by military means are increasingly being questioned by Western politicians. In mid-February, at the Munich Security Conference, American Congressman Adam Smith said that the option for Kiev not to try to retake the peninsula is currently being discussed.
“I think there is a growing consensus that Ukraine will not return Crimea by military means, people understand that,” Smith said.
The politician explained that he understood that the West’s attempt to return the peninsula by force of arms would be very bloody. And then they are increasingly turning to the idea of a “one Ukraine” with its security guaranteed.
In line with Smith’s words, American media, citing Pentagon sources, reported that Washington did not see Kiev’s ability to return Crimea, despite foreign arms and equipment support. Moreover, the US believes that attempts to retake the peninsula will be a “red line” for Moscow and lead to a sharp escalation of the conflict.
On February 26, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on television that the United States had agreed that the issue of land ownership in Crimea could be reconsidered in the future. He also expressed the view that Kiev should no longer build large-scale plans for the return of the peninsula, but focus on short-term goals. Because the support of the USA and NATO will depend on their success.