Kyiv rejects Donbas concession as US pushes peace deal
Negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, based on a peace plan proposed by the United States, have stalled over the fate of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, a senior European official told Politico.
The official claimed that "the Americans insist" that Kyiv "withdraw in one way or another" from the region, effectively transferring the remaining areas that Moscow has failed to conquer to Russia, according to The Moscow Times.
Ukraine is categorically against making any territorial concessions, stressing that the current front line must serve as the basis for any final peace agreement. Despite this, the US continues to exert pressure to accelerate a deal.
"The U.S. approach is straightforward: Russia demands territory, and American officials are focused on finding a way to deliver it," the official cited by Politico added.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) currently control about 30% of the Donbas, including the key cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, home to over 100,000 people.
Kyiv has repeatedly stated that ceding territory violates its Constitution. Furthermore, officials argue that if Russia gains the entire region, it will use it as a launchpad for new offensives or further annexations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on December 8 that participants in the peace talks "do not have a united position regarding Donbas." Back in August, he had estimated that Russia would need about four years to completely conquer the region.
The European official questioned: "That's why it is important how America will behave—as a mediator or leaning towards the Russian side?" He added that Ukraine is also awaiting clarification on the security guarantees the United States is willing to offer.
The initial version of the previous US-backed peace plan provided for the de facto recognition of Crimea and Donbas as Russian territories. Fighting in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions would have been frozen along the contact line.
This initial proposal stipulated that Ukrainian forces would withdraw from the unoccupied part of the Donetsk region, which would then be declared a neutral, demilitarized zone under Russian control.
Subsequently, negotiations took place between the US and Ukraine in Geneva, where Kyiv rejected the territorial concessions. The plan was adjusted and presented to Russia.
However, the document did not satisfy Vladimir Putin. In addition to the ceding of the Donbas, he demanded international recognition for all occupied territories and a limitation on Ukrainian troop numbers.
The document contains major objections, Yuri Ushakov, adviser to the Russian President, said on Sunday. According to him, some aspects regarding Ukraine require "radical changes in the American documents."
On December 4, Putin stated that Russia will "anyway" get the Donbas. Previously, he had demanded that Kyiv withdraw its troops from the region, stressing that without this step the war would not stop.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
