US and Ukraine reach consensus on key issues, but territorial disputes unresolved

Ukraine and US Reach Consensus on Key Issues; Territorial Disputes Unresolved

The United States and Ukraine have recently reached a consensus on several critical issues aimed at ending the nearly four-year conflict. However, sensitive issues around territorial control in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland, along with the management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, remain unresolved.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke as the U.S. showed the 20-point plan, hammered out after marathon talks in Florida in recent days, to Russian negotiators. A response is expected from Moscow on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said.

The draft proposal, which reflects Ukraine's wishes, intertwines political and commercial interests to safeguard security while boosting economic potential. The contentious territorial dispute concerning the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, known as the Donbas, lies at the heart of the negotiations. This is the most difficult point, Zelenskyy said.

In a bid to facilitate compromise, the United States has proposed transforming these areas into free economic zones. Ukraine insists that any arrangement must be contingent upon a referendum, allowing the Ukrainian people to determine their own fate. Ukraine is demanding the demilitarization of the area and the presence of an international force to ensure stability, Zelenskyy said.

Another contentious issue is the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, which is under Russian occupation. The U.S. is proposing a consortium with Ukraine and Russia, with each party having an equal stake in the enterprise.

The draft also proposes that Russian forces withdraw from Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv regions, and that international forces be located along the contact line to monitor the implementation of the agreement.

Ukraine is also proposing that the occupied city of Enerhodar, which is connected to the Zaporizhzhia power plant, be a demilitarized free economic zone, Zelenskyy said. This point required 15 hours of discussions with the U.S., he said.

The document proposes accelerating a free trade agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. once the agreement is signed. The U.S. wants the same deal with Russia, said Zelenskyy.

Ukraine would like to receive short-term privileged access to the European market and a robust global development package that will cover a wide-range of economic interests, including a development fund to invest in industries such as technology, data centers, and artificial intelligence, as well as gas.

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

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