US negotiators insist Ukraine abandon Donbas - Media
Kyiv • UNN
American negotiators are pushing for Ukraine to cede control of Donetsk and Luhansk regions for peace talks with Russia. Kyiv refuses to withdraw troops from Donbas, despite US demands.
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.
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.