(Nov 23): Ukraine and its European allies will insist that discussions with Russia on any territorial swaps can only take place once the war ceases along the current line of contact, according to people familiar with a counter-proposal that will be presented to the US later on Sunday in Switzerland.
Their response to the US 28-point plan asks for a security guarantee from Americans that mirrors Nato’s Article 5 mutual-defence clause and demands that frozen Russian assets be used to reconstruct and compensate Kyiv, according to the people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. They reject Moscow’s demands that Kyiv cede unoccupied territory in the east.
Furthermore, the US would be compensated for the robust guarantees it provides and Russian assets would stay frozen unless Moscow agrees to pay for the damage it has caused.
Other sanctions would be lifted in phases and Russia would be progressively let back into the global economy if it abides by the deal.
The European response comes as US, Ukrainian and European national security advisors are set to meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss a US plan with President Donald Trump, who continues to push for a quick deal.
Under the terms proposed by the US, Ukraine would have to withdraw troops from parts of the eastern Donbas region that Russia has failed to fully occupy. The area would become a neutral demilitarised buffer zone, internationally recognised as Russian.
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Moscow would also obtain de facto recognition over Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk. Most of the remainder of the frontline, including in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, would be effectively frozen.
The US proposal, which was drafted with Russian input, would also limit the size of Ukraine’s armed forces to 600,000 personnel.
European leaders, joined by Group of Seven (G7) members Canada and Japan, pushed back against the notion that Ukraine’s borders could be shrunk or that the armed forces could be capped, in a statement issued on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) Summit in South Africa on Saturday.
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The people said a higher cap could be negotiated. Ukraine has previously said it needs an army of at least 800,000 troops during peacetime.
Many other clauses proposed by the US, including the return of all hostages, including children, would be acceptable. The plans would need to include a family reunification programme and provisions to address the suffering of the victims from the war, the people said.
Any agreement would be monitored under US supervision and guaranteed by a peace board chaired by Trump.
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