Henry Kissinger: There are three possible outcomes of the Ukraine crisis

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, in an interview with The Spatator, spoke about three possible outcomes of the conflict in Ukraine.

According to Kissinger's first scenario, the Russian troops will remain in their positions. In this case, Russia will get:

• 20 percent of Ukraine,
• most of the Donbass,
• main industrial and agricultural areas,
• a strip of land along the Black Sea.

Such an outcome would obviously mark a victory for the Russian side.

In the second scenario, Ukraine may try to kick Russia out of Crimea. The politician believes that a question of war with Russia itself may arise in this connection.

In the third scenario, Ukraine will be able to contain Russia, and the line of confrontation will be pushed back to the borders before the start of the special operation. For Moscow, such a scenario would mark a defeat. Kissinger noted that in this case:

• Kyiv would be rearmed,
• close ties would be established between Ukraine and NATO,
• Ukraine will become part of the alliance.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky intends to implement the third scenario, Kissinger believes. This would be a "significant achievement" for Western states, and NATO would be even stronger with the incorporation of Finland and Sweden. Ukraine would have "the largest ground forces in Europe," Kissinger said.

In May, Kissinger urged Ukraine to make territorial concessions to avoid further aggravation of the conflict. He is convinced that the West should stop trying to defeat Russia militarily. If the parties do not conduct negotiations, tensions will only continue growing. Kissinger advised Moscow and Kyiv should return to the previous state of affairs, otherwise a huge hotbed of instability would emerge in Europe. He also urged European countries to consider the bigger picture and remember that Russia has been an integral part of Europe for 400 years.

NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, also admitted a possibility of territorial concessions that Ukraine could make. Peace in the country is possible, he said, the only question is what it will cost to Kyiv.