Ukraine has set up a series of red lines while the US tries to hammer a ceasefire with Russia, The independent understand.
After three years of war, the world is waiting to see if the 30-day plan accepted by Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday will find a common ground with Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian sources at high level informed about the ongoing discussions warn that there is little confidence that Russia will accept a reasonable agreement, adding: “We expect another trick.”
Despite the fact that Donald Trump describes “good and productive” discussions with Russia on Friday, Putin was accused of using delaying tactics by “nuancing” and further questions, as well as suggesting that Ukraine would not be allowed to regain, mobilize or receive Western military assistance during the ceasefire.
But Ukraine is clearly on different key areas of negotiation if the war has to stop. This includes:
- No further territory to be ceded, despite Putin’s desire to take four Ukrainian regions that have been partially occupied by the Russian army since 2014
- The return of thousands of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia
- The return of thousands of civilians who are illegally held by Russia, who are not considered prisoners of war and will therefore not be included in POW exchanges
- A need for international security guarantees, Putin must infringe on any truce agreement
Ukrainian officials are concerned that Russia’s downtime is nothing more than a ‘game on their part’.
“We are really willing to make peace, but we need a long -term peace, not a short ceasefire. We do not want our children to fight against this fight, ”said the senior source, which cannot be mentioned because they are not allowed to talk to the media.
‘Putin plays games. We made a strong move – now it’s his turn.
“We have proven that we are reasonable; We are willing to have peace – if Russia disagrees, the whole world will see that they are liars. “
A key point is the return of tens of thousands of children, who, according to Ukraine, were abducted to Russia as part of an attempt to eradicate the country’s identity.
Kyiv claims that he knows of at least 20,000 children taken to Russia or Russian-occupied area since the beginning of the war without the consent of family or guardians, and calls the kidnappings a war crime that meets the UN Treaty Definition of Genocide.
Another issue is Putin’s demands that Ukraine in any agreement the whole of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk, who have been partially occupied by the Russian army since 2014.
In the months after the full -scale invasion of 2022, Moscow “attached” these regions by holding referendum in the areas they occupied, which was widely and forced by the international community as illegal and forced.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week there was talk about territorial concessions in the negotiations with Ukraine and had previously said Kyiv should expect to give up land.
Ukrainian officials said The independent They frozen the current battle lines, with Russia now holding an area to make a ceasefire work, but to determine an additional area would be a red line.
“For example, it is not reasonable to demand that Zaporizhzhia or Kherson be fully handed over – it sounds like us.”
They said the fate of these areas that Russia held since the invasion of February 2022 was not sealed.
“We will do our best to re -take it with diplomacy.”
At his news conference on Thursday, Putin said Russia supported the idea of a ceasefire, but with the warning that it should lead to long -term peace and eliminate the causes of the conflict.
He also suggested that there are a number of “nuances”, also in Kursk, where a ceasefire would be “very good” for the Ukrainian side.
The Kremlin later said Putin is ‘cautiously optimistic’ after he fed Trump’s envoy with Moscow late last night with Moscow, Trump’s envoy.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser of Mr. Zelensky, reflected the distrust of Putin, saying that his words looked like a ‘direct desire to continue the war’.
He said that it effectively forced Ukraine to give up his weapons, army, mobilization and supplies of equipment, and simply look quietly as [Russians] Continue to have ‘peaceful’ fire along the whole front line … ‘
President Zelensky said on Friday that although he had a good chance to end the war with Russia, he feared that Putin would try to drag the ceasefire proposal in endless discussions. He requested the other allies of the US and Ukraine to apply pressure to Russia.
The G7 countries, including the UK, warned Moscow on Friday to follow Kyiv to agree to the US ceasefire that was facing 30 days or facing further sanctions, according to a draft statement.
Mr. Trump again pushed Russia to sign and complete a ceasefire and final agreement, and said on Friday on his private social media platform that he would withdraw the US from what he called a ‘right’ mess’ with Russia.
In Ukraine, there is deep concern about the impact of a ceasefire and the freezing of lines on the plight of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children, which they believe were either taken to Russia for violence or swollen in occupied areas during the full scale.
One of the most important demands for the agreement is that these children are being traced and that the policy of “russification” is forced adoption and re-education camps.
The British Defense Ministry said this week that Russia has issued 3.5 million passports to the Ukrainians living in illegal Russian-occupied territory, leaving them the risk of service in his army.
“While Ukraine is fighting for survival, Russia builds its army not only with soldiers, but also with stolen children,” said Mykola Kuleba of Save Ukraine, an organization that has managed to locate and regain more than 600 children since the beginning of the full scale, including three teenagers in the last week.
“Over the past 11 years, 1.6 million Ukrainian children have been trapped in Russian-occupied areas. Many were taken to Russia for violence. It is indoctrinated in new schools. Their Ukrainian identity is erased, and their minds are filled with hatred for us, the West, the US and its allies. “
Ukrainian civil society is also concerned about the Ukrainian POWs and civilians held in Russian detention centers.
The Center for Civil Liberties, which won the Nobel Prize for its work in 2022, said since the full -scale invasion they know of at least 8,000 civilians in 70 different Russian detention centers in occupied areas and Russia itself.
“The release of civilians must be without conditions as part of the agreement,” says Vyacheslav Likhachev, of the center, adding that the ceasefire was one of the only chances of getting people.
‘Nothing has been effective for more than three years to release Russia civilians or act in accordance with international humanitarian law. No sanctions should be lifted without the release of civilians. “
