A source within Ukraine is stating that Zelensky is ready to give up Eastern Ukraine to Russia for peace, in order to end the war so that his country can quicken the process toward EU membership. As we read in SM News:

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to sacrifice some territories of the country in favor of Russia in exchange for a mandatory cessation of hostilities and Ukraine receiving the status of a candidate for joining the European Union with further prospects in this direction. The former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ilya Kiva is convinced of this.

Referring to a source in the office of the head of state, he said that Kyiv demands guarantees for the cessation of hostilities and granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for joining the EU with subsequent acceptance.

“As previously expected, the western part of Ukraine (three to five regions) may become part of the European Union, and the central and southeast will become part of the Russian Federation,” Kiva said in his Telegram channel.

It is not surprising that Zelensky is willing to give up the Donbas, since in 2019 he signed onto the Steinmeier Formula, a policy from Germany that allows for the formation of pro-Russian autonomous states within eastern Ukraine. This action of Zelensky sparked anger against him in Ukrainian society, especially from the far-Right. Right Sector co-founder Dmytro Anatoliyovych Yarosh warned Zelensky that if he capitulated to Russia he would be lynched: “No, he would lose his life … He will hang on some tree on Khreshchatyk – if he betrays Ukraine and those people who died in the Revolution and the War.”

Yuri Hudymenko, leader of the far-right Democratic Ax, threatened Zelensky with a revolution: “If anybody from the Ukrainian government tries to sign such a document, a million people will take to the streets and that government will cease being the government.”

Steve Cohen, a specialist on Russia, spoke about Zelensky’s tension with the far-Right: “Zelensky ran as a peace candidate … He won an enormous mandate to make peace. So, that means he has to negotiate with Vladimir Putin.” But Ukrainian fascists “have said that they will remove and kill Zelensky if he continues along this line of negotiating with Putin… His life is being threatened literally by a quasi-fascist movement in Ukraine.”

If Zelensky gives up the Donbas to Russia, it will spark a rage from the far-Right nationalists of Ukraine.

It appears that Zelensky had been pressured by the Europeans to sign onto the Steinmeier Formula, hence why Zelensky was desperate for an audience with Trump in order to get American help with security. In the words of Alexander J. Motyl, writing for Foreign Policy, Zelensky made a right move warming up to the Americans because he could rely on the Europeans who were pushing him to acquiesce to Steinmeier:

“Zelensky is absolutely correct on that score, because both Germany and especially France have turned a blind eye to Russia’s flagrant violations of international law in regards to Ukraine and are now actively seeking to pressure the country into accepting the so-called Steinmeier Formula for resolving the war in the Donbass by effectively granting Moscow veto power over Kyiv’s internal and external policies.”

The Europeans — the Germans and the French — were really pushing for a policy that would give a disadvantage to Ukraine and an advantage to Russia, which may explain why Zelensky was flattering Trump so much. It seems that Ukraine is in between two major poles of power, the USA on one side and the Europeans on the other. American officials of the traditional mentality want Ukraine to have secure borders against Russia and for Ukraine to buy natural gas from the Americans; the Europeans didn’t see this push as necessary.

The Europeans wanted Ukraine to follow through with the Steinmeier, and Zelensky agreed to Steinmeier, it appears, under European pressure. Its possible that Zelenksy acquiesced to European demands because he could not get a promising security from the Americans on account of the Trump administration’s freezing of military aid to Ukraine. When Zelensky signed the Steinmeier, it was as though he had his back against a wall, as if he was between a rock and a hard place. In the words of the Daily Beast:

“Backed into the corner and seeming to stand alone there, Zelensky made a step toward a deal with Putin by officially signing up Ukraine to the Steinmeier Formula.”

Oleg Nilov, member of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, affirmed that Ukraine was “forced to sign” the Steinmeier Formula and then she began to threaten that if Ukraine does not follow through with the Steinmeier Formula that Russia will follow “the Israeli formula” of taking all the land Russia wants.

Ukrainian nationalists expressed outrage at Zelensky as a capitulator to the Americans and Russians after he agreed to the Steinmeier Formula. As the Daily Beast reported on a huge demonstration against Zelensky decision:

“Importantly, people believe the games that Trump and Giuliani have been playing with Ukraine have led to a sellout of Russian-annexed Crimea and the embattled Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. For critics here, the most damning evidence came when Trump met Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last month.”

Zelensky’s decision to agree to the Steinmeier Formula has triggered nationalist outrage.  If perception of Zelensky being weak helps to reinvigorate even more ultra nationalist rage, it could be an incremental step in the staircase that spirals to a hell on earth.