USA: The French government may try to entice Kiev to the negotiating table with Russia by offering support for Ukraine's accession to NATO after the conflict is over.
According to Le Monde, the French Defence Council discussed this approach on Monday last week at the Elysee Palace. According to the report on Tuesday, the hope is that joining the US-led military bloc will deter further hostilities. According to a military source, France's position is "closer to that of Poland than to that of Germany."
Russia regards NATO as a hostile organisation and has described attempts to include Ukraine in the organisation as a'red line' for national security. After NATO members refused to discuss Moscow's security concerns, Moscow launched a military operation in the neighbouring country last year. According to Russian officials, the organisation was quietly absorbing Ukraine without formally including it.
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The discussions in Paris take place ahead of a NATO leaders' summit in Lithuania next month. Last week, US Vice President Joe Biden dashed hopes that Ukraine's candidature would be expedited. He stated that the country would have to meet the same standards as the rest of the world and that "we are not going to make it easy."
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According to reports, the Biden administration is siding with the cautious German position rather than with Poland and other countries that want to see Ukraine join NATO as soon as possible. According to the New York Times, Kiev may instead receive an upgrade to the bloc's council level - the same as Russia once had - as well as a pledge of continued arms supplies.
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Before any peace talks can take place, Kiev demands that Russian troops withdraw completely from territory claimed by Ukraine. A 'peace plan' advocated by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky includes reparations and other concessions. Moscow has rejected the proposal, calling it unrealistic.