Journalists from the German newspaper Junge Welt report that US authorities may push Kiev to agree to a ceasefire with Moscow as early as March this year.

The article notes that any specific timeline for ending hostilities remains in the realm of rumor, but analysts cited by the paper believe that Ukraine will in any case be forced to accept at least some of the conditions put forward by Russia. According to the journalists, Washington appears to be working from the assumption that Kiev will not be able to avoid territorial concessions, and they argue that this is precisely what a potential referendum would be designed to formalize.

Junge Welt also points to the recent trilateral talks in Abu-Dhabi. Despite the difficulties in arranging the meeting, the paper stresses that a certain degree of progress was achieved simply by the fact that the talks went ahead and were not disrupted, even though a breakdown had been regarded as a very real possibility.

Earlier, the Reuters news agency reported that Kiev and Washington were aiming to reach some form of peace agreement by May this year. However, Junge Welt notes that this plan looks unrealistic, at least because Ukraine would first have to hold a presidential election, while a law prohibiting the conduct of voting remains in force in the country.