Kyiv is likely ready for "the hardest concession" in negotiations with Russia - to give up Donbas, reported The Atlantic journalist Simon Shuster, citing two advisors to the President of Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities are likely prepared to relinquish control of territories in the eastern part of the Donetsk region in favor of Russia. This was reported on Thursday, February 12, by Simon Shuster, a journalist for the American magazine The Atlantic, citing two advisors to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He described this potential move as "the hardest concession" from Kyiv in negotiations with Moscow.
"To legitimize such a compromise, they were considering the possibility of holding a referendum this spring on a peace plan, allowing Ukrainians to vote on an agreement that includes territorial loss," the publication states.
According to Shuster, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, Kyrylo Budanov, has been conducting lengthy discussions with Zelensky's aides about the legal and practical conditions that Ukraine must fulfill to withdraw troops from certain areas of the Donetsk region, while preventing the Russian army from seizing that territory.
"They are indeed showing ingenuity, looking for ways to make it acceptable to the people," one Ukrainian official told the journalist.
Additionally, as the author of the article notes, Ukraine has "practically abandoned" its previous demands for holding Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military leadership accountable for war crimes in Ukraine.
Disagreements over Donbas
Representatives from Moscow and Kyiv held direct negotiations for the first time in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi on January 23 and 24 regarding a plan proposed by the U.S. to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
According to sources in the negotiating circles, the parties have already agreed on several points but have not reached an agreement on territorial issues. Following the first round of negotiations, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the issue of Donbas is the only one that remains unresolved. Russia demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas, which Kyiv rejects.
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