Under the proposed plans, Russia would have both economic and military control of the occupied parts of Ukraine, utilizing its own governing body, mimicking Israel’s control of Palestinian territory taken from Jordan during the 1967 conflict.

 

The suggestion was put forward during discussions between President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterparts, a source with insight into the U.S. National Security Council told the paper.

 

Witkoff, who also serves as the White House’s Middle East envoy, reportedly backs the suggestion, which the U.S. thinks solves the issue of the Ukrainian constitution prohibiting giving up territory without organizing a referendum.

 

 

US and Russia suggest ‘West Bank-style occupation of Ukraine’

 

 

It's worth mentioning:

The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is illegal. The occupation isn’t recognized by the U.S., and it’s only partially recognized by Russia.

 

 

Your headline "US and Russia suggest ‘West Bank-style occupation of Ukraine’ is highly misleading, and you should have issued a rebuttal of the vacuous nature of it. There is nothing in the article this is a position proposed by Russia. Every position put forward by Russia is that, consitutionally, Russia regards the occupied territories as part of Russia.

 

Its a position put forward by the Americans. Even if Ukraine were to accept that premise, which they won't, there is no way Russia will accept that. They have already russified millions of Ukrainians. They have bussed in Russian colonisers. You completely ignore the fact that in 1988, Jordan renounced all claims to the West Bank in favour of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as “the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”

 

Its extremely important that the world does not recognise these annexations. By not recognising them, Russia will have great difficulty in raising investment to rehabilitate the areas. They won't be able to sell land to foreign investors, because they have no legal right to the land. That will mean they will either leave these new oblasts to rot. Or, its the Russian state that will pour funds in there, to buy support, like they did in Chechenya. But there is a difference. Chechenya is Russian. Even so, 90% of the money going there is Russian government money. Virtually everyone works for the government, even if that job is not real.

 

The occupied areas of Ukraine cover 4-5 times the population of Chechenya, withc about 4 times the area. Chechenya has sucked about $100bn over that last 20 years of Russian subsidy. Rebuild costs are estimated as over $1 trillion ($1000 billion). The total Russian government budget is $400 bn. It won't be able to raise loans on the international markets. It will probably need to divert 20-25% of the annual budget into this area. Any bonds issued would be illegal. There would be some illegal money going in, but a piffling amount. Russia culd strip mney from the other regions or its budget. But its military is decimated, and we know there are elements of the Russian armed forces not happy about this (viz, how parts of it reacted to the Wagner mutiny). Reducing funds to the poorer parts of the Russia, such as thr Caucasus, would likely hasten the dissolution of the Russian Federation, and increase the threat of civil war, or they could just print money, and get Weimar like inflaton.

 

Putin might not want to give these areas up, but he won't be around forever. Make it too big a cost to bear.

1 hour ago, MicroB said:

Your headline "US and Russia suggest ‘West Bank-style occupation of Ukraine’ is highly misleading, and you should have issued a rebuttal of the vacuous nature of it. There is nothing in the article this is a position proposed by Russia. Every position put forward by Russia is that, consitutionally, Russia regards the occupied territories as part of Russia.

 

Its a position put forward by the Americans. Even if Ukraine were to accept that premise, which they won't, there is no way Russia will accept that. They have already russified millions of Ukrainians. They have bussed in Russian colonisers. You completely ignore the fact that in 1988, Jordan renounced all claims to the West Bank in favour of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as “the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”

 

Its extremely important that the world does not recognise these annexations. By not recognising them, Russia will have great difficulty in raising investment to rehabilitate the areas. They won't be able to sell land to foreign investors, because they have no legal right to the land. That will mean they will either leave these new oblasts to rot. Or, its the Russian state that will pour funds in there, to buy support, like they did in Chechenya. But there is a difference. Chechenya is Russian. Even so, 90% of the money going there is Russian government money. Virtually everyone works for the government, even if that job is not real.

 

The occupied areas of Ukraine cover 4-5 times the population of Chechenya, withc about 4 times the area. Chechenya has sucked about $100bn over that last 20 years of Russian subsidy. Rebuild costs are estimated as over $1 trillion ($1000 billion). The total Russian government budget is $400 bn. It won't be able to raise loans on the international markets. It will probably need to divert 20-25% of the annual budget into this area. Any bonds issued would be illegal. There would be some illegal money going in, but a piffling amount. Russia culd strip mney from the other regions or its budget. But its military is decimated, and we know there are elements of the Russian armed forces not happy about this (viz, how parts of it reacted to the Wagner mutiny). Reducing funds to the poorer parts of the Russia, such as thr Caucasus, would likely hasten the dissolution of the Russian Federation, and increase the threat of civil war, or they could just print money, and get Weimar like inflaton.

 

Putin might not want to give these areas up, but he won't be around forever. Make it too big a cost to bear.

If the rest of Ukraine joined the EU in the years following such a partition, economic development on the Ukrainian side could spark envy from the poorer Russian side, leading perhaps to a movement to rejoin Ukraine.

11 hours ago, bannork said:

If the rest of Ukraine joined the EU in the years following such a partition, economic development on the Ukrainian side could spark envy from the poorer Russian side, leading perhaps to a movement to rejoin Ukraine.

 

Nice theory and outcome but the cost of such development, amongst other things, will make EU (members) think long and hard before agreeing to such a move.