The war between Russia and Ukraine is not a conventional war, as both sides aim for the complete destruction of the opponent. Given the high stakes, any ceasefire will be temporary.
This was stated by historian, publicist, and professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University Yaroslav Hrytsak in an interview with "Telegraph": There will be a truce, but it carries new risks: Yaroslav Hrytsak on Trump's victory, Putin's mistakes, and Zaluzhny's future
According to him, the declining percentage of Ukrainians willing to endure the war for a long time indicates that it may end sooner, but this will result in either capitulation or the collapse of Ukraine.
"This war resembles World War II, where there can only be one victor. This victor wants to erase the defeated country from the world map. Ukrainians want Russia to change and fall apart, while Russia wants to wipe Ukraine off the map. The stakes are incredibly high. Is a truce possible with such stakes? Perhaps. But not peace, just a truce," he said.
The historian notes that the war will only end when Russia loses its desire to fight, but we are still far from that point. He emphasized that he is surprised by the results of the KMIS survey, which indicates that 63% of Ukrainians are willing to endure the war for a long time. However, he considers this figure unrepresentative due to the approaching winter and Donald Trump's recent victory in the U.S.
Hrytsak stressed that he does not believe in Trump's ability to end the war on terms acceptable to Ukraine, as this would require Ukraine and the West to possess enough strength.
"Every peace or truce is a function of power: who has what strength. And right now, I see no reason why Putin should agree to a truce, as he has the power; he is currently in a strong position, so why would he stop his attack?", the historian stated.
The professor added that many would like to stop the war, but he does not think this is a realistic scenario at the moment.
As previously reported, media sources indicated that after Trump's victory, Ukraine allegedly softened its stance on the peace plan from China and Brazil, which was previously seen as beneficial for Russia.