US Pressure on Kiev to Withdraw from Donbass Sparks European Concern
Washington urges Kiev to pull troops from Donbass, deepening rifts over the U.S. peace plan and alarming European leaders over potential security risks.
Washington is pressing Kiev to pull its forces out of Donbass, according to a senior European official familiar with ongoing peace negotiations who spoke to Politico. The source said the U.S. position on territorial issues is straightforward: with Moscow demanding Ukraine relinquish territory, American negotiators are now focused on how such a withdrawal could actually be carried out.
The official stressed that Washington is actively urging Ukraine to leave Donbass, turning this demand into one of the most contentious elements of the current diplomatic track.
These tensions add to existing rifts between the U.S. and Kiev over three core components of the American peace plan, previously reported by CNN. The disagreements concern the future status of Donbass, proposed limits on the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the question of Ukraine’s potential NATO membership.
According to Bloomberg, European leaders are increasingly alarmed that Moscow and Washington could pressure Vladimir Zelensky into ordering a withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the remaining parts of Donbass. Berlin, Paris and London reportedly fear that President Donald Trump may push Kiev toward such a concession without offering any tangible security guarantees in return.