MOSCOW, November 25. /TASS/. The contents of Washington’s plan for Ukraine makes it clear that the United States is serious about resolving the conflict, US political scientist Garland Nixon told TASS in an interview.
"I think that there are many things that I’ve seen in this plan that show me that the Americans are quite serious about resolving the conflict. I see denazification in here, I see things in here such as the extension of the New START Treaty, I see the rights for the Russian speakers and cultural issues of the Russian-speaking people in Ukraine I think the Russians will see this as a very strong opportunity to possibly resolve the conflict amicably," he pointed out.
According to the analyst, the plan is viable and could provide a solid foundation for talks between Russia and the US. "I think the next 72 hours are critical and how the Trump administration deals with the pushback that they are going to get from the neo-Conservatives in Washington, the military-industrial complex and of course, the Atlanticists in Europe," Nixon stressed.
The US and Ukraine held consultations on Washington’s plan in Geneva on November 23. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the meeting as "the most productive" since the start of the conflict. Ukrainian media reported that Washington and Kiev had reached consensus on most aspects of the plan, with the US agreeing to place issues related to Ukraine’s EU integration and NATO accession on a separate track. According to The Washington Post, the document had been reduced from 28 points to 19 following the consultations.
According to Western media reports, the initial version of the US "peace plan" suggested that Ukraine should abandon plans to join NATO, and the bloc should promise not to integrate Kiev into its area of operation. The plan stipulated Washington would recognize Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea and Donbass, Ukrainian troops would withdraw from the Donetsk People’s Republic, Ukraine would recognize Russian as an official language, the Ukrainian army would be reduced, and sanctions on Russia would be lifted. EU leaders opposed these provisions and started working on counter-proposals.