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A plan to resolve the situation around Ukraine, including the declaration of the neutral status of the country and the recognition of Crimea, was proposed by expert and former military David Pine in a material for the National Interest.
In his opinion, Ukraine’s negotiating positions are weakening, and the Western media are mistaken when they say that Ukraine is winning. At the same time, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin himself notes that Russia is making progress in achieving its goals, and Ukraine is running out of weapons, despite supplies from the West.
Pine’s plan has 15 points, including amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine to proclaim a neutral status, with guarantees of independence and sovereignty by permanent members of the UN Security Council. This is followed by the recognition of the reunification of Crimea with the Russian Federation and the rejection of all intentions to return the peninsula. It is also proposed that Ukraine abandon ties with NATO, including training and military exercises, arms supplies, prohibit the deployment of alliance forces on the territory, destroy its strike systems, reduce the military grouping to 150 thousand people and 100 thousand in reserve, and also not demand reparations.
Another condition is the lifting of all economic sanctions from Russia, Pine writes. In addition, in his opinion, the United States and NATO should guarantee in writing that NATO will not expand to the east at the expense of the former Soviet republics or along the borders of the Russian Federation, and in exchange for guarantees of Finland’s non-entry into NATO, Russia will agree to join the alliance of Sweden, as well as any European country that does not border the Russian Federation.
He believes that such a plan is in the interests of the national security of the United States.