Ukraine rejects Russia’s proposal for neutral status

Kiev has rejected Russia’s proposal for a neutral status as part of a peace agreement to end three weeks of conflict in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday its negotiators had proposed that Kiev adopt a neutral status comparable to that of Austria or Sweden.

“This is an option that is being discussed now and that can be considered as a compromise,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

But Kiev rejected the proposal, calling for a legally binding security agreement signed by international partners who would “not stand aside in the event of an attack on Ukraine, as they do today.”

Ukraine has for years aspired to join NATO — one of the reasons Russia launched the campaign against its neighbor on February 24. After three weeks of war, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that his country would not be joining NATO.

Russia and Ukraine have held several rounds of negotiations with the latest bout ending late Tuesday and Kiev pointing to “fundamental contradictions.”

SS