Peace talks on Ukraine are "surrender terms" from Russia, international relations expert Keir Giles has told Behind the Story.
US and Ukrainian delegations met in Switzerland amid criticisms that the peace proposals from Washington were seen as favouring Russia.
The talks went over the 28-point plan presented by the United States, which included having Ukraine hand over some of its territory to Moscow and slash the size of its army.
Mr Giles, a senior consulting fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House in the UK, said the plan ultimately sees no real win for Ukraine.
"What we have is the Russian surrender terms that have been submitted through the United States to Ukraine and have now been established in everybody's mind as the baseline from which negotiations should start," he said.
"What we’re not starting from is a blank slate looking for some kind of workable, durable resolution to the war.
"There’s a big difference between peace talks – negotiations on how to end the war in some way that’s sustainable – and what we’re seeing here, which is the enforcement of the surrender terms dictated by the aggressor."
Mr Giles said he believes parts of the peace plan are too vague to work.
"The original 28 points put obligations on Europe; it says very vaguely 'Europe’.
"It’s not clear whether this is the EU, European NATO group of states or whatever – [what] Europe is supposed to do but without actually having consulted Europe on that in the first place.
"Right from the very beginning you’ve got things that are not implementable as they stand in that document.
"Yet here they are trying to make that work, but it’s unworkable to start with".
Mr Giles believes Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is choosing his words carefully.
"The basic reality of what Russia is demanding hasn’t changed – it would be disastrous for Ukraine, it would be disastrous for European defence," he said.
Later, Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Correspondent Aengus Cox breaks down a new ‘access to cash' law that takes effect this week.
It requires financial institutions to ensure that an ATM is located within 10km of the vast majority of homes and businesses.
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