Despite “a few remaining points of contention,” President Trump lauded his team’s “tremendous headway” achieved toward concluding Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Previously, his top diplomat, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also projected an relentlessly optimistic outlook following “very positive” Ukraine discussions in Geneva over the weekend. The “elements that persist are not insurmountable,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, as a US military envoy conferred with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, it was even stated that the “Ukrainians have consented to the peace accord,” despite “some small particulars to be resolved.”
That’s the uniformly positive portrayal the Trump administration has been presenting on the difficult and delicate negotiations presently underway to build a shared US, Ukrainian, and European stance on how the Ukraine war should reach a settled conclusion.
But according to a senior Ukrainian insider with direct insight into the discussions, there are still substantial disparities between what the Trump administration is requesting of Ukraine, and what the beleaguered authorities in Kyiv are willing to countenance.
Speaking to CNN from the Ukrainian capital, the source concurred with Trump officials that a “understanding” had indeed been attained on most subjects outlined in the 28-item US peace suggestions published last week.
But the source noted that, rather than just a few slight points of variance, there are still at least three critical domains where considerable differences subsist – differences that might determine the success or failure of attempts to broker an end to the conflict.
Primarily, the delicate question of whether Ukraine would cede vital regions in the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine, annexed yet not fully seized by Russia, and encompassing the “fortress belt” of heavily guarded towns and cities viewed as crucial for Ukrainian safety.
Ukrainian servicemen near destroyed structures in the frontline city of Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region.
Ukrainian servicemen near destroyed structures in the frontline city of Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region. Iryna Rybakova/93rd Mechanized Brigade/AFP/Getty Images
Earlier US proposals suggested for Ukraine to relinquish the ground to become a Russian-overseen demilitarized zone. The Ukrainian source informed CNN that there has been “certain advancement” on that suggestion but that no resolution on a core matter or phrasing in draft proposals had yet been reached.
“It would be very inaccurate to claim we now possess the version that is endorsed by Ukraine,” the source elaborated.
Secondly, the contentious US suggestion for Ukraine to cap the dimension of its military at 600,000 – a figure envisioned in the 28-point blueprint – is also still under review. The Ukrainian source told CNN that a new, greater figure has been mentioned, but that Kyiv still desired further adjustments before it would consent to such constraints on its armed forces.
Lastly, on the concern of Ukraine abandoning its aspiration to join NATO, the source advised CNN that this requirement remains unacceptable. Such a surrender would establish a “poor precedent”, the source told CNN, and would effectively grant Russia a veto over the Western military bloc of “which it is not even a participant.”
All three subjects – the relinquishing of annexed territory, the demilitarization of Ukraine, and its permanent barring from NATO – are the Kremlin’s most frequently cited justifications for starting war in Ukraine. Their settlement in Russia’s favor are also Moscow’s chief prerequisites for halting its brutal operation.
But all three matters discussed by the source are also sensitive and established boundaries for Ukraine, over which many thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have fought and perished. Formally stepping away from any one of them is a massive demand and could potentially carry considerable dangers for the Ukrainian leadership who endeavor to do so.
However the Trump administration frames it, these are far from merely a “few remaining points of disagreement,” or “elements that are not insurmountable,” or even “minor specifics to be sorted out”.
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