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Bloomberg
A proposal for Ukraine to become a neutral country but retain its own armed forces “could be viewed as a certain kind of compromise,†Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, hinting at possible progress in peace negotiations.
Peskov declined to provide details beyond confirming that the idea of Swedish or Austrian-style neutrality is under discussion in the talks now underway between Russia and Ukraine to try to end the war that’s now in its 21st day.
Only a “Ukrainian†model with enforceable security guarantees is acceptable to Kyiv, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said. “This means that the signatories do not stand aside in case of attack against Ukraine as they do now.†The two sides were scheduled for another round of talks on Wednesday. Peskov’s comments came after Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, reported “some progress†in the negotiations, but warned that some issues remain unresolved.
President Vladimir Putin sounded a more downbeat note, accusing Kyiv of not being serious enough about seeking compromises.