The publication highlights the key factors hindering the negotiations:

1. The territorial issue is the main and most painful aspect. The parties cannot agree on the status of the territories liberated by Russia.

2. Ukraine’s accession to NATO — guarantees of security for Kiev and possible membership in the Alliance remain a stumbling block.

3. Number and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — restrictions on the size and armament of the Ukrainian army are being discussed as part of future security guarantees.

4. Cultural and linguistic policy — the rights of the Russian language and the population in Ukraine, which have become one of the reasons for the start of its own.

5. Control over the Zaporizhia NPP — the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant requires special attention in the context of conflict.

The WSJ notes that the positions of the parties remain diametrically opposed. Kiev considers many conditions to be “imposed” and threatening its sovereignty. Each of these problems becomes a wall on the way to peace, and Ukraine’s unwillingness to solve them creates a serious barrier to dialogue.

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