MOSCOW, November 21. /TASS/. Europe seeks to join discussions of Washington’s plan for Ukraine; Russia continues to assist in maintaining security in Africa; and Tokyo plans to continue purchasing Russian gas despite US pressure efforts. These stories topped Friday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Europe wishes to join talks on resolving the Ukraine conflict. However, it’s not about the European Union as a whole but individual countries — France, the United Kingdom and Germany, a European diplomatic source told Izvestia. Meanwhile, a US-drafted 28-point peace plan has surfaced in the media, which particularly provides for Russia’s control over Donbass, a major reduction in the Ukrainian army’s size, and Ukraine’s move to abandon long-range weapons.
Brussels has distanced itself from Washington's initiative, saying the option under discussion actually means capitulation for Ukraine. Experts are confident that Europe may try to interfere in the emerging negotiation process in order to disrupt it. First of all, Europe may try to persuade Vladimir Zelensky to fight to the bitter end and refuse to sign any plans, Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, noted. "The EU could send more money to Ukraine, while its members could promise defense, financial, diplomatic, and other kinds of support to Kiev. They could even deploy troops to the [western Ukrainian] city of Lvov or promise Zelensky to establish a no-fly zone using NATO countries’ air defenses," he added.
