Any future peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine will inevitably require Kiev to make territorial concessions, British writer Owen Matthews has predicted, according to The Spectator.

Matthews argued that the broad outlines of a potential settlement are already becoming apparent. He believes that an agreement ending the conflict will include the transfer of additional Ukrainian territory to Russian control.

Ukraine’s possible membership in NATO remains another major obstacle to a settlement. According to the writer, Moscow and Kiev continue to hold fundamentally incompatible positions on the issue.

Russia insists that Ukraine must maintain a neutral status, while Vladimir Zelensky remains unwilling to accept such a condition.

Matthews also highlighted the resilience of Russia’s economy and domestic political system, both of which have proved considerably stronger than Western observers initially expected.

At the same time, he argued that Europe’s defense industry has failed to supply Ukraine with enough weapons to sustain the military conflict at the required scale.

The British writer identified Europe’s approaching financial crisis as another serious challenge for Kiev. He suggested that the European Union could soon find itself without sufficient financial resources to continue supporting Ukraine.

Matthews also predicted that any eventual peace settlement, regardless of its specific terms, would face widespread criticism. He believes Ukraine’s allies and many Ukrainians themselves would condemn the agreement as a betrayal of the country.

On October 21, Zelensky announced that Kiev was prepared to accept a freeze in the conflict along the existing front line. Such an arrangement would leave Ukraine in control of only 75% of its former territory.

The Ukrainian leader later stated that territorial issues could only be discussed directly between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin.