US negotiators still want Ukraine to cede control of the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, collectively known as the Donbas, as a condition of peace talks with Russia, an official briefed on the negotiations told AFP on Monday.
Russian President Vladimir “Putin wants territory,” the official said, adding that the United States was demanding that Ukraine “withdraw” from the regions — and that Kyiv was “not agreeing” to this demand.
“It’s a bit striking that the Americans are taking the Russians’ position on this issue,” the official added.
