U.S. newspaper Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Russia should ensure the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and military equipment from Ukraine.
According to Deutsche Welle, the report says that only the withdrawal of troops could be a prerequisite for any weakening of European and U.S. sanctions against Russia.
Washington Post also sees the need to seal the border between the countries, with monitoring by international observers.
“Ms. [Angela] Merkel and President [Barack] Obama should insist on these terms and make them public. Otherwise Mr. Putin will be encouraged to renew the aggression that already has proved fruitful for him,” the newspaper wrote.
Washington Post said that Putin “is on the cusp of achieving all his major objectives” in Ukraine.
In addition to Crimea, he has captured a strategic slice of territory containing up to 10% of Ukraine’s population, creating a “frozen conflict” that he can use to keep the rest of the country permanently destabilized, Washington Post wrote.
“He has bluffed Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the European Union into postponing the implementation of an economic-association agreement that was the original cause of the conflict. He has pushed Ukraine’s economy into a free fall likely to intensify this winter, especially if Moscow fails to deliver supplies of gas or purchase Ukraine’s goods,” the report says.
The U.S. newspaper warned if the Kyiv government manages to hold successful elections this month and begins to find its footing, Putin can use his Donetsk clients to restart the war whenever he wishes.
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