FLASH
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Three of the most sensitive issues being worked on. Leaders have the final say...
"Peace is really close, but everything will depend on Putin, whether or not he accepts the updated peace plan," a source in Washington tells Il Giornale.
According to the same source, there are still some difficult edges to resolve, details that can be overcome, except for the territorial issue, but in principle we are there.
Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy for Russia, will go to Moscow and then everything will depend on the presidents of Ukraine, Russia and the United States.
The obstacles being overcome relate to disputed territories, including the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the size of the Ukrainian armed forces, and Kiev's relations with NATO.
The first obstacle is the most difficult to overcome, but there is basic agreement on the other two.
The Ukrainians have reportedly agreed to withdraw from the last part of Donbas (only 16% of the territory), which they still defend tooth and nail.
A painful decision, for many fallen, to abandon the defensive network as far as Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, where the pro-Russian breakaway began in 2014, which represents the Piave Line. Even in the publicly revealed phone call between Witkoff and the Russian presidential advisor, Yuri Ushakov, intended to put a ring on the wheels, it is reiterated that the real issue is Donetsk, the Donbas region where fighting is taking place on every corner of the street.
A European who has been on the front lines since the beginning of the invasion with Ukrainian special forces has sent these dramatic messages in recent hours: "a tragedy, never before have we had so many deaths, injuries and missing. Now every mission is a massacre. We are at the borders." And he hopes that a deal can be reached.
"The question is how the demilitarized zone will be managed and by whom," the American source explained. "The Ukrainians would like some kind of free territory."
Putin, to claim a Pyrrhic victory, is seeking de facto recognition of Russian sovereignty over all of Donbas, even if his troops do not enter Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. The possible solution is a truly neutral zone guaranteed by a strong presence of international observers.
"Another related factor is the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant," Washington notes.
The United Nations Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is supposed to manage the facility, but Ukrainians are concerned about the Russian role and the 50/50 split of energy production between the two countries.
The problem of reducing Kiev's armed forces seems to be solved by an increase to 800,000 men from 600,000 in Trump's initial plan. However, it would be the largest army in the European Union, where France has the largest number with 300,000 men. The Russians, if they accept the increase, will aim to reduce the range of Ukrainian weapons, which with drones can strike as far as Moscow.
The issue closest to Ukrainians' hearts, after territories, is NATO. Kiev would like to join the Atlantic Alliance sooner or later, but for the Russians this is a red line. Moscow even demanded that Ukraine's permanent non-membership be written into the Ukrainian Constitution. The agreement would be based on security guarantees similar to NATO's Article 5 on collective defense, even though Ukraine is not a member state.
This idea has long been suggested by Giorgia Meloni.
But that's not all: the Russians will never accept NATO troops in Ukraine, but the allies could create a contingent ready to deploy in Poland, where Trump's plan already envisaged the deployment of a fleet of fighter jets to provide an air shield for Kiev. "At this point, the real unknown is Putin," the foreign source emphasizes.
"Does he really want to make peace?" /Adapted from Pamphlet/
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