Ukraine will experience a “Korean-style miracle” if it stops fighting, gets limited NATO protection and rapidly rebuilds, preferably paid for by Russian money, according to retired US Admiral James Stavridis, NATO’s former top commander in Europe.
The retired naval officer offered a three-point plan for Ukraine in a column published by Bloomberg on Saturday. He argued that by halting the fight with Russia now, Kiev would be able to prevail in the long run.
“Ukraine will overtake Russia in a few decades in terms of gross domestic product, overall agrarian output, and certainly in the sense of being a vital, democratic society in which people want to live,” he wrote.
At this time, Kiev is in no position “to demand a complete Russian withdrawal from its territory,” Stavridis argued, touting his proposal as “a realistic scenario that will set Ukraine up for success over time.”
He claimed that while stopping hostilities would be a bitter pill for Ukraine to swallow, “Russian President Vladimir Putin will hate such an outcome as well.”
“It will mean he has obviously and fully failed in his objective of conquering all Ukraine,” he stated.