France 24: Moscow Demands Territorial Concessions from Ukraine in the Donetsk Region of Eastern Ukraine

The peace agreement draft and negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are a major focus of today's France 24. According to France 24 citing Bloomberg, Moscow is seeking significant modifications to the latest U.S. peace plan. The report states that Russia wants to impose stricter restrictions on Ukraine's military capabilities. Moscow considers the 20-point plan formulated by Washington and Kyiv only as a basis for discussion but believes it does not yet meet several of Russia's requirements.

Russia's demands include guarantees that NATO will not expand eastward in the future; maintaining Ukraine's neutral status; limiting the size and armaments of Ukraine's post-war forces; and clearly defining the conditions for lifting Western sanctions and frozen Russian assets. Moscow also demands territorial concessions from Ukraine in the eastern Donetsk region, but Kyiv has rejected this demand, fearing that Russia might launch a new offensive.

Putin has not yet made public comments on these proposals. To avoid offending Trump, Russia avoids a direct rejection. Trump said this week that the negotiations are progressing well, but also acknowledged the low likelihood of reaching an agreement before Christmas. The Kremlin has stated that it will soon continue contact with Washington.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy admitted that Ukraine and the United States still have differences on territorial issues and the management of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. However, he stated that both sides have made "significant progress" in finalizing the document.

According to Zelenskyy, Russia has indicated that it may withdraw troops from parts of Ukraine, while demanding that Ukraine withdraw from areas it still controls in Donetsk. It is reported that the U.S. is considering designating the Donetsk region as a demilitarized zone.

The Ukrainian president also promised that, once a ceasefire agreement is reached, he would hold presidential elections "as soon as possible." This ceasefire agreement would come into effect after the signing of the peace agreement and would be supervised by an international mediator.

Kyiv claims to have received support from Washington, including a timetable for future EU membership, a comprehensive reconstruction plan, and security guarantees provided by the U.S. if Russia violates the ceasefire agreement.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy claimed that China is helping Russia attack Ukraine's energy sector.

Zelenskyy explained on social media that the head of Ukraine's foreign intelligence service, Oleg Ivashchenko, reported that relations between Russia and Chinese entities capable of providing space-based intelligence data are becoming increasingly close. According to Kyiv, there are indications that images of Ukraine taken by Chinese satellites are associated with attacks on energy infrastructure. Kyiv believes these activities are prolonging the war and undermining diplomatic efforts.

The European Union strongly condemned on Wednesday, December 24, the "unreasonable" sanctions imposed by the U.S. on former EU Commissioner Breton and four other European citizens who have been committed to technology regulation. This is also a major focus of today's France 24.

The EU statement said: "We have asked the U.S. authorities for clarification... If necessary, we will take swift and decisive action to defend our regulatory autonomy against these unreasonable measures."

France 24 stated that Breton, a Frenchman, became the target of a travel ban announced by the U.S. government on Tuesday. He served as an EU commissioner from 2019 to 2024. He was the designer of the European Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes regulations on platforms, such as reporting problematic content, which the U.S. considers an attack on freedom of speech.

Brussels refuted all the allegations by the Trump administration against the EU's "censorship" of American tech giants. The European Commission emphasized: "Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe and an important value we share with the U.S. in the democratic world. The EU is an open, rule-based single market with the sovereign right to regulate economic activity according to our democratic values and international commitments."

The European Commission emphasized its digital legislation: "Our digital rules ensure that all companies can operate in a safe, fair, and balanced environment, and these rules will be enforced fairly, impartially, and without discrimination."

After the U.S. imposed sanctions, several members of the European Parliament from the left, center, and right expressed support for Breton. Right-wing leader Manfred Weber said: "Europe has the right to set its own internet rules. That's it. [...] The Digital Security Law protects our democracy!"

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1852427381779456/

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