How Long Could the War Between Russia and Ukraine Last? Polish Leader Provides Insight

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Poland is no stranger to conflict with Russia. After World War II, Poland and other Slavic European nations spent more than a decade battling Russian aggression.

“It was a tragic, tragic struggle against Russians and their totalitarian rule,” Deputy Speaker of Poland’s Parliament Krzysztof Bosak explained during an interview with The Daily Signal, adding that the Polish people had the “will to fight.”

While a long way from reaching a decade, it has been nearly four years since Russia launched its full -scale invasion of Ukraine, and when considering how long the war between Russia and Ukraine should be permitted to continue, Bosak says “this is not the decision of any other nation than Ukraine.”

“This is up to them to decide how long they are going to fight, and for other nations and other countries to decide how long they are going to support Ukraine, and to what … extent,” the politically conservative Polish leader said.

When considering if a long, even 10-year, conflict against Russia would be worth the fight, Bosak says that if the alternative is Russia conquering other countries, “it’s better to stop [Russia] in Ukraine.” On the other hand, it would be worth Ukraine giving up a little bit of land for a “peaceful coexistence” with Russia, he said.

The issue, according to Bosak, is that “nobody believes” giving Russia some Ukrainian territory is a “true alternative” to create lasting peace in the region.

“Russian strategy is always about extending their borders, their sphere of influence,” Bosak said.

“They have imperialism in their political DNA,” he continued, adding that in the past 100 years, when Russia has agreed to peace, it has only been to prepare for another war.

Efforts to Reach a Peace Deal

President Donald Trump has been working to secure a peace deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine since he returned to office in January. In November, Trump announced a 28-point plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine that would give the Crimea Peninsula and the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk to Russia. It would further declare current battle lines as the new borders of Ukraine and Russia.

As recently as Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy affirmed he will not agree to any plan that involves ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia.

“Do we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don’t have such right,” Zelenskyy told reporters in a WhatsApp chat on Monday night, according to Politico.

“According to Ukraine’s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either,” Zelenskyy added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear he will not agree to a deal that does not include Russia receiving at least some Ukrainian territory.

Putin said he believes Trump’s 28-point plan “could form the basis for a final peace settlement,” but neither he nor Zelenskyy endorsed it in its entirety.

Even if Trump is able to get Putin to agree to a deal, not only Ukraine, but also the Europeans will have to agree as well, Bosak said.

Russia Has ‘Upper Hand’

During an interview with Politico’s Dasha Burns on Monday, Trump said Russia has always had the “upper hand” in the fight because it is much larger than Ukraine.

“I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the, you know, bravery and for the fighting and all of that. But you know, at some point, size will win, generally,” Trump said.

The Trump administration rolled out a new 33-page national security strategy in recent days that addresses the U.S. relationship with Europe, and specifically the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

It is the priority of the U.S., according to the newly released strategy, “to negotiate an expeditious cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, in order to stabilize European economies, prevent unintended escalation or expansion of the war, and reestablish strategic stability with Russia, as well as to enable the post-hostilities Reconstruction of Ukraine to enable its survival as a viable state.”

Trump has repeatedly stressed he wants “hostilities” between Russia and Ukraine to end quickly, and despite both Russian and Ukrainian leaders expressing a desire to see the war end, neither Putin or Zelenskyy have indicated they are ready to compromise on the issue of territory.