According to Shuster, two advisors to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the possibility of relinquishing control over eastern territories is being discussed. They consider this step as "the most serious concession" in negotiations with Moscow.
According to him, to legitimize such a compromise, the possibility of holding a referendum on a peace plan is being considered, which would allow Ukrainians to vote on an agreement that includes territorial losses.
Shuster also reports that Kyrylo Budanov, head of the president's office, has been conducting lengthy consultations with Zelensky's aides regarding the necessary legal and practical conditions for withdrawing troops from certain areas of the Donetsk region, in order to prevent these territories from being captured by the Russian army.
One Ukrainian official noted that the authorities are indeed showing creativity in searching for ways to get the population to accept this decision.
Furthermore, according to the author of the article, Ukraine has effectively abandoned its previous demands for holding Russian President Vladimir Putin and high-ranking military officials accountable for crimes committed on Ukrainian soil.
Negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv took place for the first time in Abu Dhabi on January 23 and 24, where a plan proposed by the United States to end the conflict was discussed. According to sources, some issues were agreed upon, but topics concerning territories remain open. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the issue of Donbass still requires resolution, while Russia insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops, which Kyiv rejects.
