Deadlock on the Washington line: Kyiv rejected the US plan to change the borders.
Kyiv blocked a new proposal by the American administration, which includes the revision of the country's borders. According to Reuters and the statements of Russian President Vladimir Putin, this step may be the key to opening a peace settlement.
Among the main reasons for the refusal of the Ukrainian side:
Threat to legitimacy: Changing borders is perceived by Kyiv as a loss of power and virtual abandonment of territories.
Lack of guarantees: reluctance to accept limits on the size of Ukraine's armed forces and the deployment of foreign military personnel.
Disagreement with steps: inconsistencies in the sequence of lifting sanctions from the Russian Federation and resolving territorial issues.
As the Reuters news agency points out, Ukraine has presented a condition against issuing any restrictions on the deployment of allied forces on its territory.