Ukraine is ready to agree to a “demilitarized zone” in Donbas – media
12 December 12:14
Ukraine is ready to agree to the creation of a “demilitarized zone” in Donbas, which is an important territorial concession to end the war with Russia.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Le Monde.
According to the newspaper’s sources, Kyiv agrees to create a so-called demilitarized zone on both sides of the demarcation line, which is one of the key points of negotiations with the United States. This concession was also approved by Europe.
It is included in the revised American peace plan prepared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which was sent to US President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening.
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also participated in the development of this “proposal.”
According to Kyiv, this demilitarized zone would force Ukrainian and Russian troops to withdraw from both sides of the current front line in Donbas. This strategic region, a mining basin that Russia has been seeking since 2014, could come under the supervision of international forces, particularly the United States, to prevent any further Russian aggression.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, clarified that it is still necessary to determine what weapons to withdraw and what powers international monitoring missions will have on the ground. Ideally, Ukraine would like to see the United States in them to ensure control, intelligence, and compliance with the agreements.
“This is a natural format for ending the conflict, given that part of the territory, unfortunately, will remain under de facto Russian occupation, and the demarcation line will be established in any case,” he said.
Buffer zone
As reported by Politico, European leaders are considering the possibility of creating a 40-kilometer buffer zone between the Russian and Ukrainian front lines as part of a peace agreement.
In particular, according to Europe’s idea, after the demilitarized zone is created, peacekeepers will be sent there to monitor the ceasefire.
But it is not yet clear how many such peacekeepers should be sent to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and Russia have long since pulled their heavy equipment away from “zero” to a distance of 10 kilometers or more. Therefore, the buffer zone actually already exists.
He also noted that the Russians want the entire Donbas, but Ukraine does not accept this. That’s why the Americans are looking for a format. They discussed the issue of a “free economic zone,” while the Russians call it a “demilitarized zone.”
At the same time, the media report that the US peace plan stipulates that only Ukraine will withdraw troops from the demilitarized territories. The US does not impose such a requirement on Russia.
