The world is waiting to see whether Vladimir Putin and Russia agrees to a 30-day peace plan that was agreed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday
Ukraine has drawn up its boundaries as the US begins ceasefire negotiations with Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to a 30-day peace plan on Tuesday, which is now sitting on Vladimir Putin’s desk, awaiting his approval. However, Ukrainian officials don’t think he’ll be agreeing to the proposal any time soon.
Kyiv sources say there’s little trust in the Kremlin playing ball, adding they “expect another trick” after Putin was accused of “raising nuances” and additional questions during his talks with Donald Trump on Friday. Trump, however, described the discussions as “good and productive”.
Putin’s own demands include prohibiting Ukraine from rearming, mobilising or receiving military aid from the West during the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has issued its own boundaries and key negotiating areas for the war to come to an end. These include stopping Putin from snatching any further territory after Moscow took four Ukrainian regions since 2014. The return of Ukrainian children who were abducted en masse and taken to Russia. Civillians illegally held by the Russian Federation, who are not considered prisoners of war, must be returned to the home land.
Finally, international parties must provide security guarantees should Putin break the ceasefire agreement. Officials from the war-ravaged nation have expressed concerns that Russia is stalling and playing games.
A senior source told The Independent: “We are really willing to make peace, but we need a long-lasting peace, not a short ceasefire. We do not want our children fighting this battle. Putin is playing games. We have made a strong move – now it is his turn. We have proved we are reasonable; we are willing to have peace – if Russia doesn’t agree, the whole world will see they are liars.”
One of the demands regarding the return of Ukrainian children comes after Russia allegedly kidnapped at least 20,000 youngsters and took them into the country without the consent of family. Kyiv claims the move was an attempt to erase Ukraine’s national identity, and a war crime under the UN definition of genocide.
Putin is also demanding that Ukraine cede four regions – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk – areas which it stole and held phony referendums in to claim their rightful ownership. The international community has branded these illegal.
