Without troops present: Ukraine talks discuss the idea of a demilitarized zone in Donbas – The New York Times

At peace talks on Ukraine, negotiators are discussing the idea of a demilitarized zone in the Donbas in which neither army would be present.

This is reported by the American newspaper The New York Times.

According to the outlet’s sources, during consultations in recent weeks officials have discussed the idea of creating a demilitarized zone that would not be controlled by either army.

“This revives a proposal that was included in earlier peace plans, including a 28-point plan put forward by the Trump administration in November,” the newspaper writes.

The paper adds that, to make the idea easier for both sides to accept, negotiators have also discussed creating a free trade zone within any potential demilitarized area. However, it notes the practical difficulty of establishing a free trade zone in territory squeezed between two armies.

It also recalls that a demilitarized zone in the Donbas was indeed part of the Trump 28-point plan originally, but administrative control in that territory would have been granted to civilian authorities of Russia. Ukraine previously opposed this idea, while the Kremlin supported it.

Earlier, the outlet Axios reported that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is prepared to discuss withdrawing Ukrainian troops from Donetsk Oblast, but urged Moscow to pull its forces back by an equivalent distance.