Ukraine Denies Accepting Troop Withdrawal in Draft Peace Deal | WPN World People News

Russia–Ukraine peace talks have recently reached an impasse. Ukrainian officials said that Kyiv has submitted an updated proposal to Washington outlining steps to end Russia’s invasion. According to the proposal, the United States hopes Ukrainian forces would withdraw from parts of Donetsk Oblast, where a demilitarized “free economic zone” would be established as a buffer between the two armies, while Russian forces would not be required to pull back.

Ukrainian officials reiterated today that these ideas remain under discussion and have not been finalized. Russia, meanwhile, said that even if its troops were to withdraw, other law-enforcement forces would be deployed to maintain order in the area.

France’s Le Monde reported that Ukraine has accepted the relevant arrangements in the draft and that the plan has received backing from European leaders. However, Ukrainian media quoted presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak as denying this claim. Podolyak said that any buffer zone or demilitarized area must be discussed within a broader security-guarantee framework.

Russia has maintained a hardline stance. Russian foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov told media that Russian forces would also withdraw from Donbas, but would be replaced by other Russian personnel, reiterating Moscow’s position that Donbas will ultimately belong to Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that territorial issues and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain the two main unresolved elements in Ukraine’s peace proposal. Earlier on the 12th, a German government spokesperson said Zelenskyy will travel to Berlin on the 15th to meet with several European leaders, as well as senior officials from the European Union and NATO, with a focus on progress in Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations.