The US and Ukraine are working on the American peace plan, which was changed during previous talks and currently, according to Kiev, contains 19 points (originally there were 28 points). During the meetings so far, the parties agreed on most issues except the issue of territory and security guarantees. A senior representative of the American authorities said that the White House wants to eliminate the differences in positions on these two issues on Sunday. — Ukrainians know what we expect from them – added the source.
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What issues are discussed during the US-Ukraine talks?
Who represents the American side in the talks?
What is the status of the peace plan according to Ukraine?
What does Andriy Yermak say about territories?
He represents the American side at Sunday's talks Secretary of State Marco Rubio, presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to present a draft peace plan to Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday.
He is the head of the Ukrainian delegation Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), Rustem Umierov. It also includes Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Serhiy Kyslytsia, Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Olha Stefanishyna, Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov and intelligence representatives Axios reported.
Andriy Yermak resigned
Andriy Yermak, former head of the office of the President of Ukraine, who resigned on Friday, announced that the issue of the territory could only be discussed at the presidential level. But last week, President Donald Trump said he would meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin once the sides were close to an agreement.
On Thursday, in an interview with the Atlantic magazine, Yermak said that Ukraine would not give up territory to Russia. As he emphasized, Kiev is ready to talk about the demarcation line marking the territory controlled by both sides. “No one in their right mind would sign a document relinquishing the territory today,” Yermak said. — As long as Zelensky is president, no one should count on us giving up the territory, he emphasized.
Russia is not sending any signals that it may withdraw its demand for Ukrainian territory, including that not under the control of its army. Although negotiators have made progress in recent days, they still have different views on the key issue of territory. In this respect, the positions of Russia and Ukraine seem difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile, noted the Atlantic magazine.
Peace plan for Ukraine
The draft peace plan published last week by Axios assumes, among other things, that Crimea, the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts would be recognized as de facto Russian, including by the United States.
Ukrainian forces would withdraw from the part of the Donetsk Oblast they currently control, and the withdrawal zone would be a neutral demilitarized buffer zone, internationally recognized as territory belonging to the Russian Federation. Russian forces would not enter this demilitarized zone.
