Peace proposals for Ukraine ‘to be presented to Russia’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that the proposals negotiated with US officials to end the conflicts related to Russia’s occupation of his country for nearly four years could be completed within a few days.
Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that US envoys would present the plans to the Kremlin before possible meetings in the US next week.
Zelenskiy told reporters hours after the meeting that the draft peace plan discussed with the United States during talks in Berlin on Monday was “not perfect” but “very workable.”
But he warned that some important issues (in particular the situation of Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces) were still unresolved.
US-led peace efforts appear to be gaining momentum.
But as attention shifts to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin may oppose some of the proposals that officials from the United States, Ukraine and Western Europe oppose, including post-war security guarantees for Ukraine.
“We are very close to an agreement on strong security guarantees,” Zelenskiy said after the Berlin talks.
An official from a NATO country who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues said the security offer would rely on allies’ help to keep Ukraine’s military strong.
“The Europeans will lead a multinational, multi-domain force to reinforce these troops and protect Ukraine by land, sea and air, and the United States will lead a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism with international participation,” the official said. he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated on Tuesday that Russia wants a comprehensive peace agreement, not a temporary ceasefire.
If Ukraine “seeks temporary and unsustainable solutions, it is unlikely that we will be ready to participate,” he said.
“We want peace, we do not want a ceasefire that would give Ukraine a respite and prepare for the continuation of the war,” he told reporters.
“We want to stop this war, achieve our goals, secure our interests and guarantee future peace in Europe.”
Consensus has been reached in Ukraine and Europe on nearly 90 percent of the peace plan written by the United States, U.S. officials said Monday.
US President Donald Trump said, “I think we are closer to a peace agreement than ever before.”
Zelenskiy reiterated that Ukraine refuses to recognize Russian control over any part of Donbas, an economically important region in eastern Ukraine consisting of Luhansk and Donetsk.
“The Americans are trying to find a compromise,” Zelenskiy said before visiting the Netherlands on Tuesday. he said.
“They are proposing a ‘free economic zone’ (in Donbas). And I want to emphasize once again: ‘free economic zone’ does not mean being under the control of the Russian Federation.”
Zelenskiy, in his statement after his meeting with Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Dick Schoof, said that Ukraine needs “legally binding commitments”.
“There are many questions about how we can get protection without being a member of NATO,” Zelensky said.
“We must have support and it is important for us to have all the security guarantees.”
Putin wants all areas in the four key regions captured by his forces to be recognized as Russian territory, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia claims to have annexed in 2014.
Zelenskiy warned that if Putin rejects diplomatic efforts, Ukraine expects increased international pressure on Russia, including tougher sanctions and additional military support such as advanced air defense systems and long-range weapons.
Zelenskiy said what led Ukrainian officials to negotiations was that Russia “should be held accountable for what it has done, for this war, for all the murders, for all the suffering.”
Zelenskiy said that Ukraine and the United States have prepared up to five documents on the peace framework, many of which focus on security.
He was optimistic about progress in the Berlin negotiations.
“Overall there was a show of unity,” Zelenskiy said.
“It was really positive in that it reflected the unity of the United States, Europe and Ukraine.”
with DPA
