Kyiv confirms that work is continuing on a technical level between teams studying US proposals

A senior Ukrainian official stated on Friday that Ukraine is calling on its partners respect its position while work continues at the technical level in order to study the U.S.-backed end of war plan.

Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council said Ukraine's principles would not change: "sovereignty of the people, safety, and just peace".

Umerov, in a Telegram statement, said: "We carefully study all of our partner's proposals and expect them to have the same correct attitude toward Ukraine's situation."

According to the U.S. plan, as seen by, Kyiv will be required to renounce the entire Donbas area and reduce its military. Ukraine's allies have long considered these conditions to be tantamount capitulation.

The plan states that Ukraine will have to limit their army to 600,000. It also says it will "receive robust guarantees" of security. However, the plan does not provide any further details.

Around one million Ukrainians now serve in the armed forces. They defend more than 1,200 km (745 miles), of the frontline, against a larger Russian army.

The proposal makes several concessions to Russia. These include that Crimea and Luhansk will be recognized by the United States as being de facto Russian and that Ukrainian forces will withdraw from a part of Donetsk that they control.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President of Ukraine, met with U.S. Army Sec. Daniel Driscoll on Thursday night in Kyiv. After the meeting, the president said that Kyiv is ready to work "honestly" on the plan.

Sources familiar with the issue said that U.S. officials plan to brief European Union Ambassadors in Kyiv about the draft plan this Friday. Reporting by Anastasiia Maenko, Olena Hartmash, Editing and William Maclean

(source: Reuters)