The Financial Times reported on Monday (March 28) that as part of ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Russia is prepared to let Ukraine pursue EU membership as long as Kyiv drops its plans to join NATO.
The report cited four anonymous people briefed on the negotiations who said under a draft deal aimed at ending the fighting, Ukraine would vow not to join NATO, not to host foreign military bases, and not develop nuclear weapons. In exchange, Ukraine would get security guarantees and Russia wouldn’t block its bid to join the EU.
The sources said the deal does not include three of Russia’s earlier demands; “denazification,” demilitarization, and protections for Russian-speaking people inside Ukraine.
The report said that the draft deal would leave two other major Russian demands—Ukraine’s recognition of Crimea as Russian territory and the independence of the Donbas republics—to be worked out in a tentative future meeting between Putin and Zelensky. … Read More