Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, said that a truce at some stage and a freeze without its settlement could become a realistic scenario for the development of the conflict in Ukraine, RIA Novosti reports.

According to him, the ideal victory scenario for Russia would be to ensure the security of new regions of the country and the maximum withdrawal of the front line from them, as well as inflicting such a military defeat on Ukraine, after which it would have to fulfill the requirements for demilitarization, to ensure the rights of the Russian-speaking population. In addition, Ukraine will be forced to return the status of the Russian language, “reverse the policy of de-Russification, which is now in full swing” in the country, and return the status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the expert continued.

However, he considers this ideal scenario unlikely in the foreseeable future, since for the West it would mean defeat with all the grave consequences. In order to prevent such a scenario, the West, according to the political scientist, will be forced to go "already to a direct hot war against Russia, which, of course, will inevitably become nuclear."

“Therefore, a more realistic scenario, in my opinion, is a truce at some stage and a transition to a frozen conflict without its settlement. Conditionally, according to the Korean scenario,” he said.

As Suslov pointed out, this would theoretically allow Kyiv and Moscow to declare, "albeit not a complete, but victory."

“For the West, victory will be expressed in the preservation of a pro-Western, significantly militarized Ukraine, albeit with a significantly reduced territory. And for Russia, this is the acquisition of Donbass and southern Ukraine and ensuring their security, ”the specialist noted.

He also stated that it would be a very imperfect and unstable peace, rather than a peace, but a long-term truce. According to Suslov, none of the parties "will be satisfied", "will not feel safe."

“With the stakes for both sides raised to the highest possible level, the second likely scenario is simply a nuclear war between Russia and the West,” the political scientist added.

Earlier, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev said that there were only one and a half scenarios for the end of the Ukrainian conflict.