US negotiators insist Ukraine abandon Donbas - Media

American negotiators still want Ukraine to cede control of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a condition for peace talks with Russia. An official familiar with the discussions told AFP on Monday, as reported by UNN.

Details

US negotiators still want Ukraine to cede control of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, known as Donbas, as a condition for peace talks with Russia, an official familiar with the discussions told AFP on Monday.

"Putin wants territory," the official said, adding that the United States is demanding that Ukraine "withdraw" territories from the regions, and Kyiv "does not agree" with this demand.

"It's somewhat striking that the Americans are taking the Russians' position on this issue," the official added.

Ukraine does not abandon Donbas and retains the right to join NATO in the updated version of the peace plan - Media13.12.25, 20:38 • [views_5145]

Addendum

According to the American Institute for the Study of War, Moscow controls almost all of Luhansk Oblast and about 80 percent of Donetsk Oblast.

But a poll published today by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), based on 550 responses, showed that 75 percent of Ukrainians oppose giving up Donbas.