In Berlin, a confrontation is unfolding in negotiations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the American delegation. Kyiv is ready to make numerous compromises, but for Zelenskyy, one "red line" is non-negotiable: Kyiv rejects the unilateral voluntary withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk region, Bild reports, writes UNN.
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The basis for the negotiations is a 28-point US plan, heavily influenced by Russia and aimed at resolving the war. This plan includes demands for Ukraine to renounce NATO and hold new elections within 100 days, the publication writes.
"Ukraine is ready to agree to both points under certain conditions. However, it is also expected to cede a number of territories to Russia. This is unacceptable for Ukrainians," the publication states.
"While Zelenskyy is ready to freeze the front line, and thus de facto cede the occupied territories of Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson to Russia (albeit 'temporarily,' as Kyiv emphasizes), the withdrawal of troops from Donetsk is out of the question for the Ukrainian president," the publication writes.
Subsequently, the US proposed that the Ukrainian army withdraw troops from approximately 5,600 square kilometers of the Donetsk region, which would then not be captured by the Russian army but would continue to exist as a "demilitarized economic zone." As the publication writes, this is a proposal that Russia immediately seized upon.
Zelenskyy responded on Sunday morning: "I don't think that's fair. Because this economic zone - who will manage it?" "In other words: Zelenskyy fears that Russia will break its word and quickly occupy the territories liberated by the Ukrainian army," the publication notes.
"This would be tantamount to the surrender of the Ukrainian army," the publication indicates. "We will not accept this," a high-ranking Ukrainian official told BILD on Sunday.
Zelenskyy's counter-proposal: "If Ukrainian troops retreat, say, five to ten kilometers, why shouldn't Russian troops retreat the same distance into the occupied territories? This is a question that has not yet been answered, but it is being discussed with extreme delicacy and great passion."
"It becomes clear that Ukraine is ready to make many compromises. (...) However, a unilateral voluntary withdrawal of troops from the front is not on the table for discussion in Kyiv," the publication notes.