Milan, 13 Oct. (LaPresse) – “The United States and Europe are slowly moving towards a joint peace proposal that would guarantee financial and security benefits to both Ukraine and Russia as the basis for a territorial settlement that does not fully satisfy the war aims of either side.” This is according to an article in the Washington Post (WP) by columnist David Ignatius, who states that “US negotiators are trying to put together a package that addresses the post-war needs of Ukraine and Russia in order to end the bloodshed and leave both countries in a better position, as an incentive for a territorial compromise”. The package is said to consist of four key pillars. According to the report, the diplomatic initiative took place during a six-hour meeting held last Friday in Florida, hosted by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and attended by Ukrainian officials and representatives from the UK, France and Germany. The meeting was held at the Shell Bay Golf Club, a complex owned by Witkoff in Hallandale Beach. “We need to broaden both the problem and the solution to help both sides understand what the post-war situation would look like – and thus to make concessions,” reported a US official quoted by Ignatius. According to the source, during Friday’s meeting Kushner and Witkoff asked the Ukrainians to suspend attacks on refineries and warned that Trump would finalise the diesel deal. What followed was predictable: Zelenskyy objected; Trump went ahead with the deal (with the clearly political aim of lowering prices ahead of the mid-term elections); Zelenskyy derided Trump’s decision as “weak”; and Trump threatened to cut off intelligence support. A European official quoted by Ignatius reported that, although European leaders were outraged by Trump’s diesel deal, they appear determined to press ahead with the diplomatic process led by Kushner and Witkoff; however, the European source emphasises that “Putin does not seem to be taking peace seriously”.
Ukraine, WP: “US-Europe 4-point plan to end the war”
Milan, 13 Oct. (LaPresse) – “The United States and Europe are slowly moving towards a joint peace proposal that would guarantee financial and security benefits to both Ukraine and Russia as the basis for a territorial settlement that does not fully satisfy the war aims of either side.” This is according to an article in the Washington Post (WP) by columnist David Ignatius, who states that “US negotiators are trying to put together a package that addresses the post-war needs of Ukraine and Russia in order to end the bloodshed and leave both countries in a better position, as an incentive for a territorial compromise”. The package is said to consist of four key pillars. According to the report, the diplomatic initiative took place during a six-hour meeting held last Friday in Florida, hosted by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and attended by Ukrainian officials and representatives from the UK, France and Germany. The meeting was held at the Shell Bay Golf Club, a complex owned by Witkoff in Hallandale Beach. “We need to broaden both the problem and the solution to help both sides understand what the post-war situation would look like – and thus to make concessions,” reported a US official quoted by Ignatius. According to the source, during Friday’s meeting Kushner and Witkoff asked the Ukrainians to suspend attacks on refineries and warned that Trump would finalise the diesel deal. What followed was predictable: Zelenskyy objected; Trump went ahead with the deal (with the clearly political aim of lowering prices ahead of the mid-term elections); Zelenskyy derided Trump’s decision as “weak”; and Trump threatened to cut off intelligence support. A European official quoted by Ignatius reported that, although European leaders were outraged by Trump’s diesel deal, they appear determined to press ahead with the diplomatic process led by Kushner and Witkoff; however, the European source emphasises that “Putin does not seem to be taking peace seriously”.