France says it can't confirm new Putin territorial demands

Filed 6h ago · Via NV · The Buffoon Desk

THIS STORY IS SCORED

The Bandit

Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: European Parliament · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

The Élysée Palace says it cannot confirm reports circulating since September 6 of a new US plan allegedly presented to Moscow involving Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas, a UN buffer zone, and a referendum on territorial claims.

The chain of sourcing traces back to Ukrainian outlet Glavcom citing unnamed Russian media, with no original document ever published or verified; the Financial Times separately reported only that US negotiators brought 'updated versions' of prior documents without detail.

French officials say Putin is demanding Ukraine accept his terms before any Zelensky meeting even happens, while insisting the earlier 'Anchorage formula' tied to the Trump-Putin Alaska summit is no longer operative for Washington.

Paris points instead to the G7's Évian communiqué backing continued sanctions and support for Ukraine as evidence of where things actually stand.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

Somebody floats a rumor, three more outlets pass it along like a chain letter, and pretty soon a made-up map of Ukraine is circulating with more confidence than the actual negotiators have. Paris just shrugged and said it never saw the paper, because there apparently isn't one. It is a fine reminder that in a war this size, the fog covers the diplomacy just as thick as the battlefield.

Source: Read the original at NV → Scored: The Bandit · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

Read it scored.

Every story, every clown, every kazoo — in your pocket. Music plays automatically. Regret is optional.

GET IT ON iOS GET IT ON ANDROID