ROME, November 2. /TASS/. Given the current situation in Ukraine, Russia certainly has the advantage, so immediate negotiations are needed that take this into account, Giampiero Massolo, an Italian diplomat and former President of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), said.
"It’s clear what we need - a truce taking due account of current realities. As a matter of fact, this means an exchange of territories for a ceasefire," he wrote in a column for the Corriere della Sera newspaper. According to the diplomat, many NATO members would not be happy to see Ukraine in the alliance as they don’t want to share collective defense commitments, while a security guarantees system alone might not be enough.
In military terms, "the West cannot do much without running the risk of sliding into a direct confrontation between NATO and Moscow whereas permitting Kiev to strike deep inside Russia would lead to a further escalation," Massolo noted, adding that "this measure is not a solution."
He noted that Moscow has both resources and time while the West is exhausting its capacities of assistance to Kiev as it stretches its budgets to the limit amid growing public fatigue. So, in his words, bearing in mind other factors influencing the conflict, such as Russia’s cooperation with Iran, China, and North Korea, Europe and the United States had better find another way to contain Russia.