Ukraine accepts principle of demilitarised zone in east, while insisting Russia make similar concessions in pulling back forces
Washington and Kyiv have edged closer to a jointly agreed formula to end the war in Ukraine amid continuing uncertainty over Moscow’s response and a number of unresolved issues.
Revealing the latest status of the peace talks, brokered by Washington, Ukraine’s president, Volodmyr Zelenskyy, appeared to have secured several important concessions from earlier versions of the now slimmed-down plan after intense talks with the US negotiating team.
Regardless of whether it is accepted by Moscow, it marks a success for Kyiv in rewriting an earlier US draft that had been criticised as a Kremlin wishlist. Zelenskyy said he expected US negotiators to be in contact with the Kremlin on Wednesday.
In the latest version of the peace plan, Ukraine accepts the principle of a demilitarised zone in its eastern regions, control of which has long been a stumbling block, with the insistence that Russia make a similar pullback of forces.
