European officials concerned U.S. deal could be exploited by Russia

European officials are growing concerned that an emerging U.S.-brokered peace deal in Ukraine could be exploited by Russia, paving the way for a re-invasion of territory in the war-battered nation’s eastern Donbas region.

The fear, a main sticking point in recent talks, is that the U.S. plan for a demilitarized zone would give the Kremlin cover to deploy covert forces in the contested area, according to people familiar with the matter. The Kremlin might then use hybrid tactics, including so-called false flag operations, to undermine U.S. security guarantees and manufacture the premise for a new invasion, they said.

Nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale attack, control over territory is at the centre of complex negotiations between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow as officials inch close