Draft 15-point peace plan between Russia and Ukraine
The Russian-Ukrainian negotiating delegation met in Belarus on March 3 (Image: Getty)
The Financial Times (FT) cited five well-informed sources on March 16 as reporting that the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine On the peace plan, significant progress has been made, including a provision on the establishment of a ceasefire agreement, and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine if the Kiev government declares its neutrality and accepts limits on the size of its armed forces. .
Two sources said that the Russian and Ukrainian negotiating delegations discussed for the first time a comprehensive, master plan on March 14. The draft 15-point plan refers to Ukraine giving up its ambitions to join NATO, pledging not to allow foreign bases and weapons to be stationed, in exchange for security guarantees from a number of allies. such as the US, UK and Turkey. Ukraine will maintain its armed forces, but will stay out of NATO-style military alliances.
However, to what extent the West guarantees Ukraine’s security and how acceptable it is from Moscow may remain a major barrier to any agreement, along with the status of Ukraine. Crimea, a territory annexed to Russia in 2014 but not recognized by Ukraine and the West.
Talking to the FT, Mr. Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky and chief negotiator on the Ukrainian side, said the agreement would have to mention the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, especially in southern regions along the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, the territory of which lies east and north of the capital Kiev.
Ukraine’s constitution mentions the country’s desire to join NATO. But after the conflict with Russia broke out, President Zelensky and his close advisers almost abandoned the idea of involving Ukraine into this military alliance. At a meeting with the leaders of the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force on March 15, President Zelensky said that the door to joining NATO is almost closed, that is a reality that Ukraine must accept.
Adviser Podolyak also expressed a similar view, saying that at present there is not any effective system for European security, when reality shows that a serious war has just broken out, NATO has quickly stand outside.
Instead of joining NATO, Podolyak said the Kiev government proposes a “model of security for Ukraine”, which refers to the fact that the sponsoring countries will immediately and legally join, standing with Ukraine. against acts that violate the territorial integrity of this country. He is not too concerned about the provision of Ukraine banning foreign military bases, because this has been mentioned in previous laws.
The chief negotiator Podolyak also said that the 15-point draft obtained by the Financial Times only mentions Russia’s terms, not the full range of Ukraine’s requirements, while Kiev has its own views.
For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on March 16 that a neutral Ukraine following the model of Austria or Sweden is also a possibility. “This option is being discussed and can be viewed as a neutral option,” Peskov told reporters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said negotiations were difficult, but there was still some hope of reaching a compromise, and the two sides were close to agreeing on many detailed words. The issue of Ukraine’s neutral status is being seriously discussed, along with security guarantees.
On the same day, White House spokesman Ned Price said the US welcomes positive signs in the progress of diplomatic negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. But the official insisted that the White House wanted to see clearly the action of de-escalation from the Russian side.
In an interview with US television channel PBS on the same day, Mr. Podolyak said that to resolve the conflict, it is necessary to “direct negotiations between the two presidents”. He said this is an issue that the two sides are promoting in peace negotiations, under which they are drafting documents for the presidents to discuss in the near future and sign. According to Podolyak, the positions of Kiev and Moscow are still different, but he believes a ceasefire can be reached within the next few days.
* Invite readers to watch programs broadcast by Vietnam Television on TV Online and VTVGo!
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vtv.vn – Read the original article here