« Financial Times »: Putin offers stopping battles on current front lines
After negotiations with Europe, the United States believes peace in Ukraine is possible
« At the moment, there is a lot of pressure on Kiev to give up things so that Trump can claim a victory, » according to one of these sources.
Tomorrow’s meeting with US and European officials in London will also have Ukrainian. The aim is to discuss the latest proposals. However, from the meeting, both Whitkof and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to withdraw. It is expected to be the US Special Messenger for Ukraine Keith Kellog. According to Kremlin, Whitkof is expected in Moscow later this week.
The Kremlin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov explains that « tense work » is underway, which cannot be done publicly. Trump wrote on social networks two days ago that he hopes Russia and Ukraine « make a deal this week » and then start doing business with the United States and « do a condition ». A spokesman for the State Department said they could not comment on the « nature of the negotiations ».
Putin’s cynical trick
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski has made it clear that there can only be direct conversations with Putin after a fire has occurred.
- The US proposals, discussed last week, which Zelenski says they have not been completed, include the deployment of a European peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine, as well as individual military forces outside NATO to help monitor the cessation of fire along a demilitarized area, covering the entire front line over 1000 km.
- The forces will work together with the Ukrainian and Russian forces, observing the truce on their respective sides of the so -called contact line.
- According to the potential transaction, Ukraine will commit itself to returning the territory occupied by Russia by force, while Russia will agree to stop the slow advance of its army.
- It is unknown whether Trump has asked Ukraine to formally recognize the annexation of Crimea from Russia. But Zelenski repeated his position on the peninsula on Tuesday, saying that: « Ukraine will not recognize the occupation of the Crimea. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine, there is nothing to discuss here. »
With a « bad deal » for Ukraine, the truce will be like a vacation
Russia has rejected some of the US proposals, including a military presence of NATO countries in Ukraine, but, according to British media sources, it may be ready for others. A condition for the change in the position for the four districts, according to the Editor in Independent Gazeta, Konstantin Remchukov, is to regain full control of the Kurka region.
