The Ukrainian version of the “peace plan” rejects withdrawing troops from Donbas and renouncing NATO – NYT

The Ukrainian version of the “peace plan” sent to Washington rejects both the withdrawal of troops from Donetsk region and abandoning NATO membership.

This is reported by The New York Times.

According to the outlet, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plan was drafted after talks with European leaders.

“According to five current and former Western officials familiar with the plan, the parts of Trump’s original proposal that crossed Ukraine’s ‘red lines’ were removed by the Ukrainians. In particular, according to two senior European officials and a former U.S. official, Kyiv’s proposals state that Ukraine must retain control over areas in eastern Ukraine that, under Trump’s plan, it was supposed to give up.

The U.S. demand that Ukraine renounce its right to join NATO was also removed,” the paper writes, suggesting that both changes will be unacceptable to Russia.

It should be noted that earlier French newspaper Le Monde, citing presidential office adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, wrote that Kyiv was ready to withdraw its troops from Donetsk region if Russia also pulled its forces back from the current front line.

Recall that the new U.S. peace plan envisions that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will leave Donbas, Ukraine will abandon its NATO course, but will join the European Union by 2027.