WASHINGTON, November 24. /TASS/. Washington’s European allies do not have the full picture of the consultations between the United States and Ukraine on the new settlement plan, The Washington Post (WP) said.
"The issue right now is that we don’t really have a clear picture of what is being negotiated between the US and Ukraine," the newspaper quoted a European diplomat as saying.
In his opinion, "there is a sense of "mystery around the current phase of negotiations."
"We are not on board. We are trying to get on board, but it is being met for the moment with some rejections from Americans," the source said, commenting on Europe’s involvement in the consultations between Washington and Kiev.
According to the report, there are fears that the deal will be closed without direct European involvement.
The source told the newspaper that Europe wants "a structured approach" to the consultations, with in-person meetings of European and US delegates.
On Sunday, the United States and Ukraine held consultations on Washington's 28-point "peace plan." Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the meeting "the most productive" since the start of the conflict. Ukrainian media reported that Washington and Kiev were able to agree on most of the plan. As Rubio pointed out, the United States agreed to shift Ukraine's European integration and its membership in NATO to separate talks.
According to Western press reports, the initial version of the American peace plan stipulated Ukraine's refusal to join NATO and the alliance's commitment not to integrate Kiev, as well as recognition by the United States and other countries of Russian sovereignty over Crimea and Donbass, withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the territories of the Donetsk People's Republic, the status of the Russian language as an official language in Ukraine, reduction of the Ukrainian army and lifting of anti-Russian sanctions. The EU leaders disagreed with several points and began developing counter-proposals.
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia remains open to negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement, but there are currently no specifics regarding such contacts with the United States. There are no talks scheduled between Moscow and Washington this week. Russia has not yet received the official text of the adjusted version of the American plan following consultations between the United States and Ukraine in Geneva.