The revised 27-point peace plan (27PPP) thrashed out between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the US envoys does not contain a commitment by Ukraine to give up its Nato membership aspirations, ZN.UA reports.

The ban on Ukraine ever joining was included as Point 3 in the original US sponsored 28-point peace plan (28PPP) floated at the end of November that was presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Moscow meeting on December 3.

The revised US peace plan also envisages the demilitarized zone being internationally recognized as Russian territory, the Financial Times reported, citing a draft agreement.

According to the publication, the American side, as part of the peace process, is proposing the creation of a so-called "belt of fortresses" – a territory in eastern Ukraine that Kyiv would be forced to vacate. The document envisions this zone as a demilitarized yet internationally recognized part of Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy noted that within the framework of peace negotiations, the territorial issue still remains unresolved, and it is currently difficult to say "what the documents will be like in the end."

"The Americans are looking for some format. They discussed the issue of a "free economic zone." The Americans call it that, and the "Russians" call it a "demilitarized zone," Zelenskiy said.

"In addition to the currently uncoordinated positions regarding the Donetsk region, the document  proposed the withdrawal of Russians from some parts of our regions where they are currently located. This is what is being considered. That is, they are leaving the corresponding parts of Kharkiv, Sumy regions, and Dnipro region, where they are,” Ukrainska Pravda reported.

Regarding the captured territories of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, according to Zelenskiy, Russia refuses to abandon its positions in these regions.

No Nato expansion 

On Nato membership, a separate document included in the new 27PPP package reportedly repeats a Point 3 on the original 28PPP unilateral commitment by the US that Nato will not expand further, ZN.UA reports after having seen a copy of the 27PPP plan.

According to ZN.UA, the 27PPP revised plan was recently submitted to Ukrainian authorities by Washington and consists of four clusters:

• agreements between Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the USA and Europe (20 points);
• framework security assurances for Ukraine (3 points);
• US commitments to NATO (4points);
• agreements between Russia and the USA (12 points).

Putin said in an interview on December 4 the 27 points were more or less the same in substance as those in the original 28PPP.

ZN.UA said that the texts reviewed “resemble conceptual notes rather than full-fledged international treaties”. Putin also confirmed that the negotiations in Moscow were general in nature not specific. Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy advisor, who was at the meeting, confirmed that the talks were preliminary and designed to sketch out the landscape, not specific negotiation over the wording of the agreement.

The point that has disappeared altogether in the updated 27PPP proposal is a key general amnesty for actions committed during the war. That point has been removed from the new draft completely, the outlet reported. Both sides have accused the other of committing war crimes during the nearly four years of fighting.

Nato still appears in the 27PPP, but the proposal has been significantly watered down and does not require Ukraine or Nato to formally enshrine in legal documents a ban on Ukrainian accession to the military alliance, as the 28PPP demanded. “Ukraine also does not commit anywhere to not joining Nato,” ZN.UA reported.

However, the ban on Ukraine’s membership is included by slight of hand in the commitment to halt Nato’s expansion – a long-standing complaint of Putin’s.

ZN.UA did not disclose how the documents were obtained but said they reflect the latest iteration of peace efforts involving the US and its allies.