The latest U.S. proposals for a peace plan do not include a call for Russia to withdraw its troops from Donetsk and Luhansk to create a demilitarized zone there.
According to European Pravda, this was reported by the Financial Times.
A senior Ukrainian official who reviewed the proposal in its latest version stated that it does not call on Russia to leave the territories that, under the plan, are to become the eastern border of the demilitarized zone. Instead, the United States insists that Ukrainian forces should withdraw from their positions in Donetsk region.
Originally, Trump’s 28-point peace plan included a proposal to create a “neutral demilitarized buffer zone” after Ukrainian troops withdrew from Donbas.
Ukrainian officials involved in the negotiations said that the U.S. insists on creating a zone similar to the one that has separated North and South Korea since the signing of their armistice over 72 years ago.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees the demilitarized zone as a path toward a frozen conflict — a short-term pause that would give Moscow time to regroup before launching a new offensive.
It was reported that representatives of Ukraine and the U.S. held talks on Wednesday regarding the reconstruction and economic recovery of Ukraine after the war ends.
On Tuesday, President Zelenskyy announced the completion of work at the national security advisor level on proposals from Ukraine and Europe for the “peace plan.”
He also said that, as part of the negotiation process between Ukraine, Europe, and the U.S., three documents are being prepared that will form the basis of a peace settlement.
