After weeks of intense diplomacy, Ukrainians still believe that parts of the U.S. peace plan favor Moscow, and the U.S. is putting much more pressure on Zelensky than on Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Axios reported. The representative of the American authorities denied this statement and assured that the US also pressured Putin to soften his demands.
The peace negotiations focus on two issues. Russia demands that Ukraine give it the entire Donbas, including the territory that Russian troops have not conquered. Ukraine, in turn, demands strong security guarantees from the US to prevent future Russian aggression.
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Why is the United States putting pressure on Zelensky?
What conditions do the Americans propose to Ukraine?
What did Trump say about Zelensky's attitude?
What are the key issues in the peace negotiations?
“The Americans wanted Zelensky to accept all this during a telephone conversation”
The Ukrainian official said that from Kiev's perspective, the U.S. offer deteriorated after last week's conversation between U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Putin in Moscow.
According to him, it seemed as if Witkoff and Kushner wanted to hear a clear “yes” from Zelensky during their Saturday phone call.
— It looked as if the US was trying to sell us in various ways the Russian desire to occupy the entire Donbas and the Americans wanted Zelensky to accept all this during a telephone conversation, the source said, referring to the conversation between Witkoff, Kushner and Zelensky, which was held at the end of three days of negotiations between the US and Ukrainian delegations in Florida.
Ukrainian and U.S. officials have reported that some progress has been made, but there has been no breakthrough on territory or security guarantees.
According to Axios, Zelensky allegedly told Witkoff and Kushner that he had only received the American proposal an hour earlier and had not read it yet.
Trump disappointed with Zelensky's attitude
A U.S. official said this was surprising because the United States had submitted an updated proposal a day earlier. The Ukrainian official emphasized that some of the documents were delivered the day before, and others only shortly before the conversation.
On Sunday evening, Trump said he was disappointed because, as he said, the Ukrainian leader had not yet read the proposed peace plan.
A Ukrainian official told Axios that the U.S. proposal contained tougher conditions than previous versions on issues such as territory and control of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and left key questions about security guarantees unanswered.
“There are important issues regarding territory that need to be discussed in greater detail: who controls what, who stays where, who withdraws, and if Ukraine withdraws from the line of contact, how to ensure that Russia does the same and (does not continue) fighting,” the source said.
The representative of the American authorities assured that the Ukrainians had a great influence on the current shape of the project, and Kushner and Witkoff pressed Putin to agree to some Ukrainian demands.
The portal's interlocutors said that the Trump administration views Monday's meeting in London with the leaders of Great Britain, France and Germany as an unhelpful attempt to gain time in negotiations on the American peace plan.
Ukrainian officials also claim that the US is trying to lure Zelensky away from European leaders in order to put more effective pressure on him.
— Zelensky cannot make such dramatic decisions without consulting key allies in Europe, a Ukrainian official said. While the US administration is pressing Zelensky to act quickly, Europeans are advising him to be cautious and patient, the source said. Axios wrote that this situation infuriates some members of the White House, who consider the Europeans to be a major obstacle to reaching an agreement.
On Monday, Zelensky announced that the next day Ukraine would present the United States with an updated peace plan aimed at ending the war with Russia. He added that the plan contains 20 points, but no compromise has yet been reached on the issue of territories.
