“No one will support them”: the reaction of Ukrainian soldiers on the front to the proposals of the US peace plan.

“Let them have it,” Snick told the BBC. He added, “There is practically no one left in the cities and towns… We are not fighting for the people, but for the land, while we are losing more people.”

Andriy, the Ukrainian general staff officer, says what is proposed for Luhansk and Donetsk is “painful and difficult,” but suggests the country may have no other choice.

Ukraine has defended the region since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and its allied forces seized parts of Donbas. “We may not want to give it up, but we won’t be able to maintain it with military force or resources,” Andrei says.

Eastern Ukraine was the scene of the heaviest fighting in this war, and Ukraine lost tens of thousands of soldiers defending it.

Matros, who has been fighting since 2018, told us that abandoning Donbass “would nullify everything: all the efforts of the armed forces.”

“This would ignore the lives of fallen soldiers and civilians,” he said.

The draft US peace plan plans to limit the size of the Ukrainian armed forces to 600,000 soldiers. This number is still much larger than it was before the full invasion, when its standing force was about 250,000 soldiers, but smaller than its current size. Latest estimates indicate that Ukraine’s military strength exceeds 800,000 soldiers.

Snake believes the country will need many of those currently in uniform to help rebuild Ukraine when the war is over. He asked, “What is the benefit of having this large number of people in the army if there are security guarantees?” he asks.

Andrey, the staff officer, agrees. He says: “If there are security guarantees, there is of course no benefit in maintaining such a large army.” “People are tired and want to go back to their families. There is no reason to keep them in the peacetime army after the war.”

It is believed that the Ukrainian economy cannot support such large armed forces in peacetime.

Army doctor Stutzer disagrees, noting that the Ukrainian army “is the only thing that separates us from defeat and slavery,” while Matros calls the proposal to reduce the size of the armed forces “ridiculous and manipulative.”

Ukraine’s willingness to accept the proposals will depend on its future security guarantees.

The draft US plan excludes Ukraine’s membership in NATO, but not in the European Union. US security guarantees are promised if Russia attacks again, although no further details are provided about the extent of this support. The draft resolution also rules out the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine if an agreement is reached.

But Yevhen, a drone operator in eastern Ukraine, believes the presence of foreign forces in the country represents an important security guarantee.

Britain and France led efforts to provide a “security force” in the event of a ceasefire, through a “coalition of the willing.”

“I like the UK’s plan to send troops to Ukraine (through this coalition),” he says. “This is the only plan that will help us win: sending in allied forces.”

But Staff Officer Andrei does not believe that Europe is capable of providing many security guarantees. “Europe has become completely weak and divided,” he says. “It seems that all hope lies only in the United States.”

But other soldiers indicate that they do not trust the United States much either. “U.S. security guarantees under its current government are no guarantees at all,” Stutzer says.

The draft US plan proposes that Ukraine hold new elections within 100 days of the end of the war. According to the Ukrainian constitution, elections cannot be held in time of war.

However, there are signs of growing frustration with the current government, which faces serious accusations of corruption. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine is currently investigating allegations that individuals benefited from contracts in the energy sector worth US$100 million.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has already been forced to dismiss two of his ministers, who deny the accusations. The former deputy prime minister and his business partner are also being investigated. The scandal sparked a political conflict and made headlines.

It’s also a hot topic on the front lines. Among the soldiers we spoke to there is support for holding new elections. “Of course it is necessary,” says Snick. “Those in power now are not trusted.”

Another soldier, Marin, is also in favor of holding elections, stating that the current government “needs to be cleansed of corruption”, while Andrei agrees that “a complete reconstitution of the government is necessary” through new elections, though not immediately.

New elections may be the least controversial proposal in the plan. But in general, there are serious doubts about the American proposals. Yaroslav tells us that they simply “won’t work,” while Oleksandr dismisses them with an expletive.

The one clear message from the military personnel we spoke to is that many are tired of fighting. Andrei has doubts about some of the proposals, but concludes: “If they stop the war, that’s fine with me.”

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