One of the crucial obstacles to a Ukraine peace deal appears to be Vladimir Putin’s demand for the remaining fifth of Donetsk region not in Russian hands. Kyiv not only resents the idea of surrendering hard-defended land, it also fears this could be use it as a springboard for future attacks deeper into Ukraine. One potential workaround under debate is apparently allowing Moscow to claim it, but also making it a demilitarised zone (DMZ) to ensure Russian troops stay out. But it’s not so cut and dried.

The notion of a DMZ may seem like an elegant way to square the circle of Putin’s demands and Ukraine’s concerns, but it’s all rather more complex than that

Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s senior foreign policy adviser and his main negotiator, recently asserted that any ceasefire can only follow the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk, but that ‘we can, in my opinion, discuss what will happen after that. Because it’s entirely possible that there won’t be any troops there, either Russian or Ukrainian. Yes, but there will be the National Guard, our police, everything necessary to maintain order and organise life.’

After all, this area contains the so-called ‘fortress cities’ of Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, Kostyantynivka and Druzhkivka, and a remaining total population........

© The Spectator