Agence France-Presse: America insists on handing over Eastern Donbass to Russia

According to Isna, an anonymous senior official who was present during Sunday’s US-European talks on Ukraine peace in Berlin said that “American negotiators in the last round of negotiations in Berlin still want to hand over a part of the Donbas (East) region that is still under the control of Kiev.”

“Vladimir Putin (President of Russia) wants territory,” AFP reported, quoting this informed source. “The Americans say that Ukraine should withdraw, which Kiev is against.”

This source added: “It is interesting that the Americans have adopted Russia’s position in this regard.”

Negotiations between the United States and Ukraine continue over Washington’s initiative for peace in the war in Ukraine. This plan includes several major parts that European supporters of Kyiv and some officials of this country have described as “painful concessions for peace”. The US peace initiative included limiting the size of the Ukrainian army, creating a demilitarized zone along the current front line in the important strategic and industrial region of Donbas, handing over some cities under Russian control and abandoning Ukraine’s demand to join NATO.

Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podoliak told Le Monde on Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accepted the controversial part of the creation of a demilitarized zone in Donbas by sending an amendment to the initiative to Washington.

Russia has always declared the recognition of its sovereignty over the cities that came under Moscow’s control during the war, as well as Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO as key parts of agreeing to any peace plan.

The Axios News site reported on Saturday that the United States is ready to provide Kiev with guarantees similar to NATO’s security frameworks approved by the country’s Congress in order to prevent future attacks if Ukraine agrees to provide territorial concessions to Russia.

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