Russia could, thanks to the American plan for Ukraine, acquire territory with an area almost equivalent to the area of Luxembourg without a fight, according to an analysis by Agence France-Presse of data provided by the American Institute for the Study of War, cited by BTA.
The draft plan for Ukraine says that the Ukrainian army should withdraw from territories it still controls, which would result in a net gain of about 2,300 square kilometers for Moscow, which is almost the size of Luxembourg (2,590 square kilometers), without Russian forces having to fire a single shot.
Kiev should also give up nearly 5,000 square kilometers under its control in Donetsk region, which will then be used to create a buffer zone, the plan seen by Agence France-Presse also stipulates. Kiev would also have to give up 45 square kilometers it currently controls in Luhansk region. All these concessions include the large cities of Kramatorsk and Slavyansk.
In return, Moscow would return to Ukraine nearly 2,000 square kilometers that Moscow claims or controls at least partially in Kharkiv region, 450 square kilometers in Dnipropetrovsk region, 300 square kilometers in Sumy region and 20 square kilometers in Chernihiv region.
The document also envisages recognizing Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, as de facto Russian, as well as Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The plan also gives Russia vast territories that it now controls in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.
Ultimately, the plan proposed by Washington would mean Ukraine giving up 20 percent of its territory to regain less than 0.5 percent, Agence France-Presse reported.
Since the beginning of November, the Russian army has advanced about 400 square kilometers into Ukrainian territory. As of November 20, Russian forces controlled 19.3 percent of Ukrainian territory in full or in part. About 7 percent - Crimea and areas in Donbas - were under Russian control before the invasion began in February 2022, Agence France-Presse noted.