Negotiations at a dead end: Washington seeks to force Kyiv to abandon Donbas - Media

Negotiations between the US and Ukraine on a peaceful settlement have reached an impasse due to a major disagreement – Washington's position, which is looking for a way to force Kyiv to abandon the territories of Donbas. This is reported by UNN with reference to POLITICO.

According to the publication, European officials involved in the process report that the American side continues to look for a model that would involve the transfer of territories remaining under Ukraine's control to Russia.

"On the territorial issue, the Americans are simple: Russia demands that Ukraine abandon territories, and the Americans continue to think about how to do it," a senior European official familiar with the negotiation process told POLITICO on condition of anonymity to discuss a delicate issue.

And also added: "The Americans insist that Ukraine must leave Donbas... one way or another."

Ukraine, however, insists that any agreement must fix the demarcation line as of today. Currently, about 30% of Donbas is under Ukraine's control.

"Overall, the most realistic option is to stay put. But the Russians are pressuring Kyiv to give up territories," one European official noted.

POLITICO also reports that the US wants a quick agreement, and President Donald Trump is "visibly frustrated with Kyiv."

At a ceremony at the Kennedy Center, President Trump stated: "Russia, I think, would prefer to have the whole country, if you think about it. But Russia, I believe, is fine with this (US plan), but I'm not sure Zelenskyy is fine with it. His people like it, but he hasn't read it."

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not comment on Trump's words, but told Bloomberg that the US and Ukraine had not reached an agreement on the situation in the east. Kyiv is trying to explain to the US that if Russian dictator Putin is given what he failed to gain in more than three years of war, it will only encourage him to take more.

The article quotes a European official who suggested: "Perhaps Trump also wants this to happen quickly, so his team is forced to explain to him that they are not to blame for it not happening as quickly as he wanted."

Last week, Russian dictator Putin stated that Russia "will still seize Donbas." However, Zelenskyy previously emphasized that giving up the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region, including Kramatorsk and Sloviansk with a population of over 100,000 people, could pave the way for a Russian offensive into the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions.

"Therefore, it is important how America will behave as a mediator, will it lean towards the Russians?" said the European official. He also added that Ukraine expects clear explanations regarding what security guarantees the US is ready to provide.

Recall

Earlier, Vladimir Putin stated that the legal recognition of the Russian occupation of Crimea and Donbas should be a key issue in negotiations with the United States. He is ready to consider an updated package of proposals after the Ukraine-US negotiations in Geneva.

The Russian dictator demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas, threatening military seizure of new territories if refused. He announced an increase in "returned" territories and made false statements about Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, Siversk, and Vovchansk.