[ad_1]
A 15-point plan laid at the negotiating table of the Russian and Ukrainian sides could bring about a peace deal after 3 weeks of occupation.
The Financial Times reports that the parties have made progress in talks based on the plan, which includes a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops if Kiev declares neutrality and accepts restrictions on its armed forces.
This was confirmed by the Russian Foreign Minister in a statement to RBC news:
“Negotiations are not easy for reasons we all know now. But there is room for compromise. Ukraine’s neutral status is being seriously discussed, along with other points. “This is what the parties are negotiating at the moment and in my view the parties are closer than ever to having an agreement,” Lavrov said.
The proposed agreement, which the parties discussed for the first time Monday, includes the condition that Kiev give up its NATO membership ambitions and promise that there will be no foreign military bases and no weapons protection from USA, UK and Turkey.
Yet international media say the nature of Western guarantees for Ukraine’s security, and their acceptability to Moscow, could still prove to be a major obstacle to any deal.
Ukrainian officials on the other hand remain skeptical about whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is really committed to achieving peace, or whether Moscow is simply trying to buy time to regroup its forces and resume its offensive.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told the Financial Times that any possible agreement between the parties would include the condition that “Russian troops withdraw from Ukrainian territory”, ie the southern regions along the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, as well as the territory east and north of Kiev.
Two sources for FT said the alleged agreement also includes provisions for the protection of Russian language rights in Ukraine, where it is widely spoken even though Ukrainian is the only official language.
Russia has described its occupation as an attempt to protect Russian-speakers in Ukraine.
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link
