Russia to demand major changes to Ukraine-US agreed plan to end war – Bloomberg
Russia will demand significant changes to the draft "peace plan" agreed by Ukraine and the United States.
Source: Bloomberg, citing a Kremlin-linked source, as reported by European Pravda
Details: According to the source, Moscow views the "20-point plan" agreed during Ukraine-US talks as a starting point for further negotiations and believes it "lacks provisions important for Russia and fails to answer many questions".
In particular, the Kremlin wants "guarantees against future eastward expansion by the NATO military alliance" and a commitment to Ukraine's neutral status should it join the EU.
In addition, Russia is dissatisfied with the "lack of limits" on the size of Ukraine's armed forces and the types of weapons it may possess, the absence of "clear assurances" regarding the status of the Russian language in Ukraine, as well as the lifting of Western sanctions and the fate of Russian assets frozen in the West.
The source added that Russia considers the current document "a fairly typical Ukrainian plan", but "it will study it with a cool head".
Background:
- On 24 December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time disclosed the contents of the 20-point "peace plan" agreed with the United States.
- Zelenskyy also stressed that Ukraine is not accepting the demand to renounce NATO membership, which had been included in the earlier 28-point plan.
- In addition, Zelenskyy revealed that the draft agreement does not envisage the lifting of US sanctions against Russia; however, Washington intends to do so gradually after the war ends.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!