Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

US-Ukraine talks narrow differences in peace plan


(MENAFN) According to reports, the White House stated Monday that only “a couple” unresolved points remain after intensive weekend discussions in Switzerland on the US-proposed peace framework aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

Speaking to a news agency, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said: “Yesterday, Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio and special envoy (Steve) Witkoff were in Geneva, and they were able to thoroughly go through this 28-point peace plan that the United States offered with input from both the Russian side and the Ukrainian side. They were really able to fine-tune the points. And so now, there are just a couple points of disagreement that our teams continue to work through.”

Leavitt added that President Donald Trump “remains hopeful and optimistic that a deal can be struck,” emphasizing his desire to end the conflict. She noted that the US is continuing to send or sell significant quantities of weapons to NATO but warned that Washington “cannot do that forever.” She continued: “The president wants this war to end. He is a peacetime president. That's what he's pursuing, and today, he remains optimistic and hopeful.”

Negotiators from the US, Ukraine, and European partners convened in Geneva on Sunday to review the peace proposal, which seeks to resolve the conflict that has lasted more than three and a half years.

Reports indicate that Trump has described the US-drafted document as not being his “final offer,” despite concerns raised by Kyiv and allied capitals. The current draft appears to include significant concessions: Ukraine would cede more territory to Russia, reduce its military capabilities, and formally renounce any future bid for NATO membership. Trump has given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to provide a response.

Zelenskyy has acknowledged that he is confronting a difficult decision, weighing what he described as “the loss of our dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.”

On Saturday, leaders from nine European nations, joined by Japan, Canada, and senior EU officials, expressed alarm over the proposal’s potential limits on Ukraine’s armed forces, saying the restrictions “would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack.”

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