Talks on Ukraine have reached a dead end ahead of the new round – Politico

Peace talks on settling the conflict in Ukraine have hit a wall on the eve of a new round scheduled to take place next week.

Politico reports this, citing sources.

The deadlock, Politico says, is that the United States does not want to sign an agreement on security guarantees until Kyiv and Moscow reach a general agreement on ending the war. And because Russia is firmly insisting on its demand that the Ukrainian Armed Forces withdraw from Donbas—something Kyiv does not agree to—the peace process has stalled.

“He (Donald Trump — Ed.) wants to resolve and lock in a lot of issues before signing the agreement. He doesn’t want to just sign it, and if that prevents further peace negotiations, what’s the point?” a U.S. official told the outlet about the security guarantees.

At the same time, the White House chief, the official said, is not trying to use this agreement as leverage over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“Both sides have pretty strongly dug in on their positions, but I think everyone feels there is a path forward,” the source added.

The outlet writes that last week the parties reached a broad understanding of how to define a ceasefire and what a demilitarized zone could look like if leaders decide to stop hostilities. But the main disputed issues—territories and the presence of Western troops—remain unresolved.

Earlier, Member of Parliament and member of the national security committee Fedir Venislavskyi warned of a threat to statehood if the war is not ended soon. According to him, a peace deal could be reached in March–April.

Recall that yesterday The Atlantic published a piece about the Ukrainian president and his attitude toward a peace agreement.