Media: The Donbas Curse in Russia's Hands Comes from Trump and Putin's Alaska Deal

In recent negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S., Russia still insists that Ukraine must cede the entire Donbas territory, saying it is a fundamental prerequisite for reaching a peace agreement, and that it was a consensus reached by President Trump and President Putin during their August 2022 summit in Alaska.

Reuters reported that Russian President Putin has repeatedly stated that unless Ukraine is willing to give up the entire Donbas region in a peace agreement, Russia will seize it by force. Russian forces currently control about 90% of the land in the Donbas region.

Russian state news agency TASS reported that Kremlin spokesman Peskov (Dmitry Peskov) said, "It's not a secret, this is our consistent position, and also the position of our president. As part of the Anchorage plan, the territorial issue is of fundamental importance to us."

The so-called "Anchorage" plan, according to the Kremlin, is the consensus between then-U.S. President Trump and Putin during their August 2022 summit in Alaska.

This proposal envisions Ukraine handing over the entire Donbas to Russia and freezing the current front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine as a prerequisite for any future peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

However, Ukraine has repeatedly emphasized that it will not surrender territories that Russia has not captured on the battlefield.

Tripartite talks between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia have not yet reached an agreement, and more consultations are expected to be held next weekend. According to a U.S. official, the tripartite talks held in the UAE will resume on February 1st.

During the interval between two rounds of talks in the UAE, on the evening of January 26th, the energy facilities of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, located just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, were attacked by Russian drones and missiles. During the cold winter, the nighttime temperature dropped to minus 14 degrees Celsius, and 80% of the power in the Kharkiv city area and surrounding areas had been cut off.

On the same night, Russian drones launched a large-scale attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa, injuring 23 people, with 9 of them hospitalized, including 2 children and 1 pregnant woman. Some people may still be trapped under the rubble.

The Ukrainian Air Force stated that the Russians sent 165 drones for the attack, of which 135 were shot down or intercepted by the air defense forces.

The next day, on the night of the 27th, a Russian drone struck a passenger train carriage carrying nearly 200 passengers in the Kharkiv region, killing at least 5 people.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated on Telegram: "Attacking a train carriage killing civilians has neither, nor could have any military justification. Each such Russian attack erodes the ongoing diplomatic efforts and weakens the efforts of partners helping to end this war. Zelenskyy called on allies to increase pressure on Moscow to end the war."

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1855605433074760/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.