The latest round of talks to end the war in Ukraine ended yesterday without any signs of substantial progress.
However, negotiators behind the scenes are trying to find a compromise over control of territory in eastern Ukraine, one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement, the New York Times writes.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine hand over territory it controls in the Donetsk region as a condition for ending the war. The strip of land is about 80 kilometers long and 65 kilometers wide, encompassing dozens of towns and villages, and lies between the front line and the administrative border of the region.
Ukraine has refused to withdraw unilaterally, saying that giving up territory would embolden Russia to attack again, in Ukraine or elsewhere. Kiev has demanded security guarantees that would deter Moscow from violating any ceasefire.
Officials have been discussing the idea of forming a demilitarized zone that would not be controlled by any military in recent weeks, The Times reported.
This revives a proposal that has been included in previous peace plans, including a 28-point document put forward by the administration of US President Donald Trump in November.
Yesterday's talks in Geneva ended after just two hours, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky describing them as "difficult" and accusing Russia of deliberately stalling progress towards an agreement, Reuters reported.
The two-day US-brokered peace talks came as Trump twice suggested in recent days that it was up to Ukraine and Zelensky to ensure the success of the negotiations.
In an interview with the American portal Axios, published on Tuesday, Zelensky was quoted as saying that it was "not fair" that Trump was publicly constantly calling on Ukraine, and not Russia, to make concessions in negotiations.
Trump told reporters on Monday that "Ukraine had better get to the negotiating table quickly. That's all I'm telling you."
Zelensky has repeatedly played down the chances of Ukraine giving up territory for peace over the past week. "Allowing the aggressor to take something is a big mistake," he wrote on social media on Monday.
He also said that any plan that would require Ukraine to give up territory in eastern Donbass that Russia had not conquered would be rejected in a referendum.
"I hope it's just his tactics, not a decision," Axios quoted Zelensky as saying in the interview.
The Times writes that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not give a clear answer last fall to the question of the formation of a demilitarized zone in Donbas. The 28-point plan envisaged Russia taking control of the area, but with a ban on the deployment of military forces. Putin said that the details need to be discussed.
Russian presidential foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov was later somewhat more open, stating that Russia could accept the formation of such a zone if Russian police or National Guard members were allowed to patrol it.
A demilitarized zone could become part of a sustainable solution, said William B. Taylor, a fellow at the Atlantic Council and former U.S. ambassador to Kiev. But, he added, Ukraine's interests would have to be protected, which would require the Trump administration to put additional pressure on Russia.
"It's important that it's a real solution, not an imposed solution, not an unbalanced solution," Taylor said. "Any imposed solution is not going to be stable. It's not going to last."
To make it easier for both sides to accept the idea, negotiators also discussed forming a free trade zone in a possible demilitarized area, although investment opportunities appear limited in a territory that, even with a ceasefire, would remain squeezed between the two armies, the American newspaper writes.
He adds that most of the industry in the area is in ruins, that only one coal mine remains in operation, and that the risk of the conflict rekindling would hang in the air for years.
A demilitarized zone could become part of a sustainable solution, but Ukraine's interests would have to be protected, which would require the Trump administration to put additional pressure on Russia.
Zelensky also questioned such an arrangement.
Another issue is the withdrawal of troops from the front line. Zelensky hinted in December that Ukraine would not withdraw troops from the front line unless Russia withdrew an equal distance.
At talks in Abu Dhabi this month, Ukrainians discussed options for a partial withdrawal of Russian troops from the front line that would not necessarily be symmetrical, the sources told the American newspaper. This would indicate a softening of the Ukrainian position.
How the demilitarized zone would be governed was also a point of contention. Ukraine insists on the deployment of international peacekeepers in the region, which, according to the Ukrainian governor of the region, is home to about 190.000 civilians, including 12.000 children.
Negotiators have reportedly been considering the formation of a civilian administration to govern the area after the war. This could include both Russian and Ukrainian representatives, according to people familiar with the talks, but the parties are still far from an agreement.
Another issue that has recently reopened is the sequencing of various steps, including accepting a demilitarized zone, formalizing security guarantees, establishing a framework for financing post-war reconstruction, and holding elections in Ukraine.
Zelensky said last week that Ukraine wants an agreement on security guarantees before committing to elections or any agreement on the withdrawal of forces from Donbas.
“I would very much like to sign the security guarantees first, and then sign the other documents,” he said. “In my opinion, that would be a good signal. This is not even a question of fairness, but a question of trust. More trust in partners, if the guarantees come first, and then everything else.”
Zelensky said that Ukrainians must "know - not just believe, but know - that in the future Russian aggression will be impossible or that, if it does happen, we will not be alone."
Ukrainian officials are pushing for stronger involvement of Kiev's European allies in the peace process, and Zelensky said ahead of yesterday's talks that this is "of crucial importance."
Leading European countries, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, strongly support Kiev's position.
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