Germany, France e United Kingdom proposed changes to the map of two United States to put an end to war between Ukraine and Russiawhich has been going on since 2014 and intensified with the Russian invasion of 2022.
The European alternative was developed amid conversations held by the USA and Ukraine in Switzerland, this Sunday (23). Representatives from Germany, France and the United Kingdom began talking to the Americans and Ukrainians about the peace plan.
Europeans want negotiations on territorial transfer to begin on the current line of contact of the conflict, instead of foreseeing that certain parts of Ukraine (the provinces that form the Donbass region, in the east of the country and on the border with Russia) will already be recognized as Russian territory, as the USA suggests.
In an initial version presented to Ukraine, the United States proposed that the country’s military strength be limited to 600,000 soldiers. The Germans, French and British, however, want a limit of 800,000 Ukrainian troops in peacetime.
The European document also proposes that Ukraine receive from the United States a security guarantee similar to that existing in Article 5 of the NATO Treaty (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
The article mentioned by the Europeans provides that an armed attack against the territory of any NATO member must be considered an attack against all countries party to the treaty and, therefore, must result in a joint reaction — which can be military.
After Sunday’s meeting in Geneva, the United States issued a joint note with Ukraine stating that the talks were “constructive” and that they resulted in an “updated and refined” plan.
“Ukraine and the United States agreed to continue intensive work on joint proposals in the coming days. And they will also maintain direct contact with European partners as the process progresses,” the statement added.
See what Europeans proposed for the peace plan:
- Limit of 800 thousand Ukrainian troops in peacetime;
- NATO fighters will be deployed in Poland;
- Ukraine will receive a US guarantee similar to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty;
- Ukraine could receive frozen Russian assets to rebuild from war;
- Ukraine should not seek to recover its occupied territory by military means;
- Negotiations over territory will begin from the current “contact line” of the conflict;
- Ukraine will hold elections as soon as possible after signing peace agreement.
