NEW YORK, November 24. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has departed Geneva, Switzerland, after talks on resolving the situation in Ukraine, and is heading back to Washington, CNN reported, citing sources.
According to the broadcaster, the top US diplomat said that discussions would continue on a technical level. He also expressed optimism that a decision on Ukraine would be made "in a very reasonable period of time, very soon."
CNN notes that it’s not clear whether other US officials have left Geneva. Rubio said earlier that the US had "all kinds of people at technical levels that are working full time on this and engaged in this full time."
On Saturday, the leaders of European Union countries expressed disagreement with some provisions of the United States’ plan on resolving the conflict, highlighting the need to refine the document. Germany’s Bild newspaper reported, citing sources, that Berlin was extremely concerned about the US initiative and had started working on diplomatic countermeasures. According to the US plan, details of which were leaked to the Western media, the United States and other countries would recognize Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea, Donbass and other territories Ukraine would have to cede. In exchange, Kiev would be granted security guarantees from the United States and Europe. A demilitarized zone is to be created in areas Ukrainian troops will be withdrawn from.
The Axios news website reported, citing a US official, that the line of contact in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions would be frozen, while Russia would have to relinquish some territories.
The Ukrainian army would be heavily reduced and stripped of long-range weapons. The plan also provides for a ban on the deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine and recognizes Russian as an official language. According to Bloomberg, the plan also envisages the lifting of sanctions on Russia.