US, Europe and Ukraine are preparing new "peace plan" with four key points, – WP
The US, Ukraine and their European allies are discussing a package of peace agreements comprising four key elements.
This is reported by David Ignatius, deputy editor and columnist at The Washington Post, according to Censor.NET.
What is known?
Last Friday, a six-hour meeting took place in Florida, organised by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Ukrainian officials and representatives from the UK, France and Germany also took part.
In particular, a package of agreements was discussed, which will have four main components.
"The message to Putin would be: Don’t just end the war with Ukraine. Make an economic and security deal with Europe that would restore stability to the region after an upward spiral of escalation," the article states.
Four points
"Ukraine’s reconstruction would be the first pillar. The World Bank and the investment firm BlackRock want to create a framework for meeting Zelensky’s myriad cash needs — for rebuilding the devastated areas of the country, providing benefits to families of dead and wounded soldiers, and restoring a shattered economy," the author writes.
The negotiators have asked Kyiv to provide detailed cost estimates and guarantees that these funds will not be embezzled by those seeking to profit from the post-war reconstruction. So far, the Ukrainian side has not provided any figures, but this is expected to happen in the coming days, provided the peace process does not break down.
The second key component will be security guarantees. Ukraine will secure commitments from the US and European states to provide a military response in the event of a new Russian attack.
"The U.S. official described as equivalent to NATO’s Article 5. The official said Russia would also negotiate agreements with Europe that would address its security concerns, though it’s not clear what this would involve," the article notes.
A third area will be the economic integration of Russia, Ukraine and Europe through an energy agreement.
"One aspect might be a pipeline carrying Russian oil and gas to Europe, with Ukraine and Russia splitting the profits. Such a pipeline could sharply reduce European energy costs, the official said.
In addition to providing Russia with "long-term access to the European energy market," a peace deal would specify how and when existing economic sanctions would be removed," the author noted.
At the same time, the final component of the agreement will be the most unacceptable.
"Russia, which began the war hoping to conquer all of Ukraine, would agree to a ceasefire along the existing front line, or "line of control," as negotiators describe it.
For Ukraine, that would mean allowing Russia to control the territory it occupies — including the bitterly contested area known as Donbas. One hurdle is that the line of control is fuzzy, given small shifts in the front almost every day.
"Though European leaders were angry about Trump’s diesel deal, they appear committed to continuing the diplomatic process led by Kushner and Witkoff," the report added.
