The US expects a response from Ukraine to a peace proposal on Wednesday. This plan includes the US recognizing Crimea as Russian territory and informally recognizing almost all regions that came under Russian control after the 2022 invasion, Axios sources report here.
Last week in Paris, US officials presented a one-page document to Ukrainian officials, stating that this document was President Trump's “final offer.” The White House has indicated it is ready to walk away from negotiations if the parties do not come to an agreement soon.
Trump's proposal makes serious demands on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had previously refused to hand over Crimea and part of four regions in eastern Ukraine to Russia.
Moreover, according to reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed freezing the front line, but he had previously rejected some elements of the US proposal, including the deployment of European peacekeeping forces to Ukrainian territory.
A source close to the Ukrainian government claims that Kyiv considers Trump's "final" proposal to be "very biased towards Russian interests": "The proposal clearly and distinctly shows what Russia gets, while what Ukraine gets is vague and general."
Therefore, the following demands are made on Ukraine:
• Recognizing Crimea as Russian territory (also to be legally recognized by the US);
• Recognizing de facto control over almost the entire Luhansk region as well as the occupied regions of Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia;
• Promising not to join NATO. The document mentions the possibility of Ukraine joining the European Union;
• Lifting sanctions imposed since 2014;
• Strengthening economic cooperation with the US in the energy and industrial sectors.
Ukraine is promised the following:
• Strong security guarantees, to be given by several European countries and possibly non-European countries aligned with them. However, the document lacks details on how this peace mission would operate and does not mention US participation;
• Returning a small part of the Kharkov region, currently occupied by Russia, to Ukraine;
• The right to cross the Dnieper River without obstruction, especially along the southern front line;
• Compensation and assistance for Ukraine's reconstruction, though the source of funding is not clearly specified.
Other aspects of Trump's plan:
• The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — Europe's largest NPP — is officially recognized as Ukrainian territory, but it will be managed by the US, and electricity will be supplied to both Ukraine and Russia;
• The document also mentions a US-Ukraine minerals agreement. Trump said this agreement would be signed on Thursday.
Interestingly, this plan was drafted following a meeting that lasted over four hours last week between Trump's envoy Steve Witzkoff and Putin.
After the plan was introduced, Putin offered to freeze the conflict along the frontline, which has been seen as the biggest sign of readiness for peace from Putin, though European officials are still skeptical, according to the Financial Times.
The next steps will see Witzkoff heading to Moscow later this week for his fourth meeting with Putin, the White House announced on Tuesday.
However, Witzkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend the negotiations taking place in London on Wednesday. Officials from the US, Ukraine, France, Germany, and Great Britain are expected to participate in these discussions. They were previously expected to take part.
In their place, Ambassador for Ukraine Keith Kellogg is expected to lead the US delegation. Trump's proposal will be the main topic of discussion.
An American official participating in the negotiations said, “Rubio and Witzkoff have worked together to create a framework to bring the fighting to an end.”
However, within the last 24 hours, the Ukrainian delegation in London has started to express a preference for discussing a 30-day ceasefire proposal instead of Trump's plan.
“Following that, the Secretary of State decided not to go to London. Rubio has had ‘effective interactions on social media with his British counterpart, and is looking forward to continuing his work after the London talks,’”
“Negotiations are ongoing, and we hope we are moving in the right direction,” said White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt on Tuesday.
According to the latest reports, the US is currently angry with Ukraine for not wanting to cede ground on territorial issues.
Abdulloh Sayyid
