Italy floats 4-point peace plan to end Ukraine conflict including winding down of sanctions against Russia

Italy has reportedly presented a four-point peace plan to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to end the conflict in Ukraine.

“We are working with partners and allies, including Ukraine, on a peace plan,” according to a spokesman for the Italian Foreign Ministry, reported Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The plan calls for local cease-fires to allow for civilian evacuations, and creating the conditions for a general cease-fire leading “to a long-lasting peace,” Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Friday, according to the Associated Press. The Italian Foreign Minister recently visited India to widen partnership.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported earlier on the proposal. The first step in the peace plan, according to the newspaper, is a cease-fire and the demilitarization of the front lines.

The second point is that Ukraine would be a neutral country. The contours of this part of the plan would be discussed at a peace conference, according to the Wall Street Journal report.

The third point is a bilateral agreement between Russia and Ukraine to clarify the future of Crimea and Donbas. The agreement would deal with cultural and language rights and guarantee the free movement of people, goods and capital. The plan, according to Repubblica, indicates that Crimea and Donbas would have almost complete autonomy, including in questions of defense, but would be part of Ukraine.

The fourth point would be a multilateral peace agreement between the European Union and Russia that would include a staged withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and the winding down of Western sanctions against Moscow, according to the WSJ report.