US 'ties security guarantees to Ukraine giving up Donbas'

[highplainsdem]

Source: The Times (UK)

The White House has told Ukraine it must cede the Donbas before the US will provide security guarantees, according to reports.

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Now, President Zelensky has been told by the White House that he must reach an agreement with Russia that involves surrendering the Donbas before he can sign documents on US security guarantees, according to the Financial Times.

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Anna Kelly, the deputy White House press secretary, told the FT: “This is totally false — the US’s only role in the peacemaking process is to bring both sides together to make a deal. It’s a shame that the Financial Times is letting malicious actors lie anonymously in order to muck up the peace process, which is in a great place after this weekend’s historic trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi.”

Kirill Dmitriev, one of the Kremlin’s key negotiators, confirmed Russia’s demand that peace talks were contingent on Ukraine withdrawing from the Donbas, a coal-mining region of eastern Ukraine divided between the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk.

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Read more: https://www.thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/ukraine-donbas-us-trump-russia-putin-kj0tkbd7c

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The Financial Times story - https://www.ft.com/content/8ca0d4fd-fdfd-4aa3-a3a2-90be00d55b9d - says that 8 people familiar with the talks were their sources for the story that the White House wants this disastrous concession and retreat.