The Behind the Scenes Search for Compromise on Territory in Ukraine Talks

New York Times - WorldCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Andrew E. Kramer and Anton TroianovskiFebruary 18, 2026 at 03:51 PM

Read Original Article

AI Summary

long article 4 min

Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the war are stalled, but behind the scenes, talks are focusing on the contested territory in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. Russia demands Ukraine cede control of a 50x40 mile strip of land it currently holds, while Ukraine refuses, seeking security guarantees instead. Negotiators are reportedly discussing a demilitarized zone, reviving a previous proposal, which would be controlled by neither army. While Zelensky has downplayed surrendering land, Russia has shown some openness to a demilitarized zone, contingent on specific conditions like allowing Russian patrols. The talks aim to find a compromise that addresses Russia's territorial demands and Ukraine's security concerns.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

William B. Taylor 30% Yuri Ushakov 40% Donbas ×240% Trump administration 40% Kyiv 50% Vladimir V. Putin ×260% Volodymyr Zelensky 60% Donetsk ×270% Ukraine ×590% Russia ×690%

Keywords

ukraine talks 90% territory 80% compromise 70% eastern ukraine 70% demilitarized zone 70% peace deal 60% donetsk region 60% negotiations 60% ceding land 50% security guarantees 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

New York Times - World

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.30)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Ukraine

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

No topic relationship data available yet. This graph will appear once topic relationships have been computed.

ukraine talks territory compromise eastern ukraine demilitarized zone peace deal donetsk region negotiations ceding land security guarantees

Explore Full Topic Graph