US may agree to partial demilitarization of Ukraine – Bloomberg
18 March 14:13
Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that all arms supplies to Ukraine cease during the 30-day ceasefire proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. And limiting Ukraine’s military capabilities remains a Russian demand in the context of a long-term ceasefire. Moreover, the United States may agree to this demand as well. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the situation, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Putin and Trump are to talk on the phone on Tuesday about ending the war in Ukraine. The topic of the conversation should be the 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine has already agreed to. In addition, the conversation will also touch on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Russia occupied at the beginning of the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the call is expected between 15:00 and 17:00 Kyiv time.
At the same time, Putin, who met with Trump’s envoy last week, made the cessation of arms supplies a precondition for signing a truce, according to a senior European official and three people in Moscow familiar with Russia’s position.
According to two people in Moscow with knowledge of the Kremlin’s position, Russia is seeking to stop all arms shipments to Ukraine, but the minimum goal is to stop U.S. aid.
A senior European official added that Europe would be extremely reluctant to agree to Russia’s demand to block arms shipments to Ukraine during a ceasefire. This outcome creates a risk of a situation where Russia could rearm during the cessation of hostilities, while Ukraine would be prohibited from doing so. The UK and the EU are working to provide new military aid packages to Kyiv as soon as possible.
The US may support the idea of demilitarizing Ukraine
The United States and Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire last week at talks in Saudi Arabia. After that, the Trump administration announced that it would lift the approximately week-long arms and intelligence-sharing halt that had been put in place to pressure Ukraine into agreeing to diplomatic efforts.
The Trump administration has effectively already caved in to Russian demands to maintain control of the occupied Ukrainian territories and to abandon Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO. It is likely that the “demilitarization” of Ukraine, which the Russians are constantly clamoring for, is also not a taboo for the American side.
“The arms halt Putin seeks will be temporary, with the flow of weapons resuming after a peace deal in which Ukraine agrees to limit its military capabilities, one person in Moscow said.”
– bloomberg writes.
The United States also likely wants Ukraine to accept certain restrictions on its military and weapons in line with Russian demands, Cliff Kupchan, a former senior State Department official who heads the New York-based Eurasia Group, told the newspaper.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has increased its own arms production from 10% to more than 30% of its needs, but still depends on other countries for more advanced weapons. Europe currently provides about 30% of Ukraine’s military needs, while the United States provides 40%.
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Negotiations between the United States and Russia
on February 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Assistant Prime Minister Yuri Ushakov met in Saudi Arabia with an American delegation, represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Volz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
After the talks, the US State Department reported that the delegations agreed to “eliminate irritants” in bilateral relations and continue to work on preparing talks on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The two sides also agreed to appoint high-level groups for further talks on Ukraine.
Jackie Heinrich, a Fox News correspondent at the White House, reported that the United States and Russia discussed a three-stage peace plan for Ukraine, which consists of the following stages
- A ceasefire.
- Holding elections in Ukraine.
- Conclusion of a peace agreement.
on February 27, negotiations between the Americans and Russians continued in Istanbul. According to the Russian side, they discussed the normalization of diplomatic relations. The Kremlin also allegedly demanded the return of 6 properties that had been seized from Russians in the United States in 2016-2018, and also proposed to resume air travel.
on March 13, Putin met in Moscow with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. The parties have not yet made any statements about the results of this meeting, except for the words of Trump’s national security adviser Mike Volz that there are grounds for cautious optimism.
Trump’s proposals to Putin
According to inaccurate information from former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul(he used the word “allegedly”), Trump offered Putin (McFaul’s wording is retained)
- ukrainian territory;
- ukraine’s non-membership in NATO;
- no American soldiers in Ukraine;
- withdrawal of American soldiers from Europe, including from frontline countries;
- easing of sanctions.
Putin, according to McFaul, has not offered anything yet.
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