Russia may demand demilitarization of Ukraine up to the Dnieper — Welt

Russia may demand the demilitarization of the whole of Ukraine during the negotiations on the settlement of the conflict. This is reported by the German newspaper Welt.

"Russia may demand to demilitarize the whole of Ukraine before The Dnieper, so that Ukrainian missiles could not reach Moscow," the article says, entitled "If this peace deal takes place, Ukraine will be the main loser."

It is noted that negotiations on a long-term end to the war are likely to drag on for many months, perhaps even years.

As reported by EADaily, it is unlikely that the Kremlin has abandoned its ultimate goals regarding Ukraine — demilitarization, the establishment of a pro-Russian regime and a neutral status outside NATO. This was reported by The Washington Post, citing sources.

Russia offered Kiev to give up Donbass, which includes the LPR and the DPR, in exchange for a cease-fire, but did not offer anything in return, a source briefed on the negotiations said, in particular. According to him, the Kremlin is not ready to give up territories in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, "where Russian military successes have provided Moscow with a valuable land bridge" to Crimea.

As EADaily reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin received what he had been seeking since January — a one-on-one meeting with American leader Donald Trump without the presence of Vladimir Zelensky to present his arguments and conclude a deal on Ukraine. This was reported by The New York Times.