On December 10, the Center for Civic Analytics "Vezha" summed up the news day together with political scientist Petro Oleshchuk. The main topic was the discussion in the Washington Post regarding a so-called 'Korean plan' for Ukraine—essentially splitting the country following the example of Korea.
Oleshchuk emphasized that similar ideas have been raised before, both by unofficial sources and former Western military leaders such as U.S. General Stavridis. The expert believes these publications are more political speculation and an attempt to create an attractive image of compromises that benefit the West rather than realistic proposals.
Another focus was on the possible establishment of a demilitarized zone in the Donbas. According to Oleshchuk, this concept has questionable military value in the modern conflict and is more a political maneuver for promoting controlled solutions.
The future ratification of security guarantees and EU membership agreements also appeared problematic. Oleshchuk indicated that securing the approval of all parties is extremely difficult, and history shows unexpected obstacles can arise. He compared current international initiatives regarding Ukraine to the Finnish scenario of the 20th century and the Munich Agreement with Czechoslovakia, underlining the potential risks of external management and limited sovereignty.
The discussion also stressed that Ukraine has not received any official 'Korean scenario' offers; instead, various ways to end the war—especially freezing the conflict along the front line—are under debate. The internal political situation in the USA and its impact on negotiations was also highlighted.
In conclusion, the experts agreed: without a clear understanding of its own goals, Ukraine must seek only those terms that are acceptable to it, avoiding imposed external solutions and building cooperation with partners based on its own interests.
