The war unleashed by Vladimir Putin almost two years ago continues despite tens of thousands of military deaths on both sides, but former NATO commander, retired U.S. Admiral James Stavridis, believes the conflict could end within the next year.
He believes the war in Ukraine will end like the one in Korea, with Russia retaining territory in the neighboring country but Kyiv joining NATO. The retired U.S. Navy admiral says both Russia and Ukraine “are increasingly exhausted by this war,” and this could lead to the two countries starting negotiations towards the end of 2024.
The 68-year-old Stavridis was commander of the United States European Command and NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, and is currently a defense analyst for NBC News and a managing director-partner of the global investment firm the Carlyle Group.
“Ultimately, this will end like the Korean War, meaning that Russia will probably still have control of some portion of Ukraine, Crimea, the land bridge to Russia,” Stavridis said on Sunday. “On the other hand, I see Ukraine coming into NATO.”
Stavridis also said that once the U.S. presidential election is over, there could be a chance to settle the matter.
“When I kind of put it all together, I think toward the end of this year, probably after the U.S. elections, we’ve got a moment for potential negotiation,” Stavridis said.
