A senior US official has said that Ukraine is reportedly “90 per cent” aligned with President Donald Trump’s proposed peace framework to end the war with Russia.
The plan, introduced in Paris by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and two special envoys, seeks a comprehensive cease-fire — with final negotiations set to continue in London next week, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.
“This coming week in London, we want to make a determination for a full and comprehensive cease-fire,” the official said. “The intent then is to have [discussions] with the Russians and then say, ‘OK, this is your best and final offer,’ to find out where both sides are at. And once we get that, then the next steps will be determined.”
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is reportedly working through unresolved concerns, mainly around how territorial lines would be drawn.
“I think part of the concern they’ve got is on the land … just what they call ‘de jure’ and ‘de facto,’” the official explained. “‘De facto’ mean we recognize the Russians occupy this land... ‘De jure’ means we acknowledge that [the Russians] take in this land and we’ll never see it back again.”
President Zelenskyy has rejected recognising Russia’s territorial gains but appears open to freezing current frontlines, where Russia holds around 20 per cent of Ukraine.
To entice Moscow, U.S. officials may offer sanction relief and a deal on $300 billion in frozen Russian assets. “The carrot, for the Russians, is a look at, ‘How do we reduce the sanctions...?’” the official said.
Critics like Alex Plitsas warn that Trump’s approach risks failure. “[Trump] has been very tough on the Ukrainians... The Russians... are refusing to come to basic terms on a cease-fire,” he said.
By Naila Huseynova
Source: caliber.az
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