FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
A whirlwind of meetings, summits and counter-summits, between Switzerland, South Africa and most recently Angola.
Then came the turning point. The 28-point plan that the US and Russia had been working on, which was leaked to the press, it is not clear whether by the Russians or the Americans (there are conflicting sources on this issue), was 'discussed' by the negotiators who met in Geneva and now consists of 19 articles, apparently much more acceptable to both Ukraine and Europe.
The direction is "positive", but there are still "issues to be resolved", summed up European Council President Antonio Costa after the extraordinary EU summit on the margins of the EU-Africa summit in Luanda.
Of course, the unknown factor remains the same: what will Moscow do after it receives the properly updated plan?
"We have heard about the European plan, which at first glance is completely unconstructive and we do not like it," commented Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin's foreign affairs adviser.
"There's a lot of everything, plus a lot of different speculation, and it's not clear who to believe," he added.
One could argue that this is exactly how this story began, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio even contradicting himself at one point about whether the United States was involved in drafting the original plan.
It is therefore no wonder that Putin, during a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called the American plan, as presented to Moscow, “a basis for a final peaceful solution.” Nor is it surprising that the Kremlin continues to use the concept of a European draft to criticize new proposals, when in fact it is a text (albeit heavily amended).
According to Ukrainians, the document emerging from the quiet rooms of Geneva is radically different. "Very few elements remain from the original version," declared Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Kyslytsya.
The two delegations will now take the new agreement to Washington and Kiev to brief the presidents, who, however, will have to make the "final decisions" on the most problematic issues. This is no small feat.
The Trump administration will reach out to Moscow to try to move the talks forward. "Now Volodymyr Zelensky has to make some big decisions, while it is the responsibility of the Russians to decide what to do. If this proposal, which is currently being drafted, were to be rejected by the Russians, then we would have proof again that Moscow is not really interested in peace," Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof commented. "However, if they follow through, we can actually negotiate."
The unity of the 27 countries, let's say 26, because Hungary is playing a lonely game, failed with the publication of the plan (described by one diplomatic source as "catastrophic"), but has since been consolidated.
For purely European issues, such as lifting or renewing sanctions, expanding to include Kiev, or using Russian fixed assets, it has been decided that the “full involvement” and approval of the EU is required. Moreover, “only Ukraine” can choose the “size of its army,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted. Here too, this is not a secondary aspect, because many decisions regarding the security of the EU and NATO will depend on Ukraine’s outcome of the war.
Tomorrow, therefore, it will be the turn of the security advisors of the Coalition of the Willing, while on Wednesday it will be the turn of the EU Foreign Ministers, summoned by the High Representative Kaja Kallas.
The diplomatic whirlwind continues. Just like in Luanda, where Europeans raised awareness among their African partners about why Russia should not succeed.
Completely changing the subject, the Ukrainian crisis also appeared in the phone call between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Beijing revealed its version: Xi stressed that "China supports all efforts for peace and hopes that all parties will continue to narrow their differences and reach a just, lasting and binding peace agreement as soon as possible to resolve this crisis at its root." Words worthy of the Cumaean Sibyl. /Adapted from Ansa/
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