US proposes creating a demilitarized zone in Donbas
Kyiv stated that Ukraine will not give up its territories; Putin reiterated that this territory historically belongs to Russia.
US proposes creating a demilitarized zone in Donbas
The new US peace plan envisages the creation of a demilitarized zone in Donbas, writes The Economist, citing Ukrainian officials. It is also envisaged that Ukraine will renounce NATO membership in exchange for an investment program and membership in the European Union. Relaxing sanctions against Russia and partially restoring relations with the West are also proposed. This could also include resuming gas supplies to Europe and restarting the operation of the Nord Stream pipelines. As The Economist notes, these are only the "outlines" of the plan, and the details remain unknown.
The recent meeting between Steve Witkoff and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo was not received warmly in Kyiv
The reason is that Russia continues to demand that the annexed territories, including those still under Ukrainian control, be handed over to it. "Kyiv is ready to stop firing on the contact line today, but we have a consensus: Ukraine will not hand over its territories," the publication's interlocutor said.
Vladimir Putin commented on the negotiation process for the first time.
In an interview with propagandist Pavel Zarubin, he confirmed that Moscow is ready to resume "trilateral contacts," emphasizing that its goal is to discuss security issues for Ukraine and Russia "not as a result of ceasing hostilities, but in the final version." On the issue of territorial concessions by Ukraine, Putin said: "This is not their territory, this is historically Russian territory. Therefore, speaking about some kind of territorial losses is, I think, inappropriate."
Europe is considering five candidates to conduct negotiations with Putin
They are Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Czech President Petr Pavel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Norwegian Prime Minister (this country is not an EU member) Jonas Gahr Støre. According to the publication's sources, Brussels may send several people to the negotiations rather than just one, which will prevent internal competition among the countries.