Ukraine faces a big challenge; will it accept the US peace plan?
The United States has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Kiev must accept Washington’s proposed framework for ending the war with Russia, which includes handing over land and some weapons to Ukraine, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The proposals include reducing the size of Ukraine’s armed forces and other items, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Washington wants Kiev to accept the main points of the plan, they said.
Such a plan would be a major setback for Kiev, which is facing further Russian advances in eastern Ukraine and is grappling with a corruption scandal that led to the removal of the energy and justice ministers by parliament on Wednesday.
The White House declined to comment, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Twitter that Washington would “continue to develop a list of possible ideas for ending this war, based on the views of both sides in the conflict.”
“Ending a complex and deadly war like the one in Ukraine requires a broad exchange of serious and realistic ideas,” he said. “Achieving a lasting peace requires both sides to agree to [make] difficult but necessary concessions.”
A senior Ukrainian official previously told Reuters that Kiev had received “indications” about a set of US proposals to end the war and that Washington had discussed them with Russia. Ukraine had no role in developing the proposals, the source said.
Zelensky, who met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey on Wednesday, is due to meet with US military officials in Kyiv on Wednesday.
In his remarks on the Telegram messenger, the Ukrainian president did not mention the proposed US framework, but called for effective US leadership to help end the more than three-and-a-half-year-old war in the country.
Meanwhile, the Axios website recently reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump is secretly consulting with Russia on a new plan to end the war in Ukraine.
Axios reported this, citing US and Russian officials, and wrote that Washington’s 28-point plan for the war in Ukraine is inspired by Trump’s plan for Gaza.
A senior Russian official, who did not give his name, also told Axios that he was optimistic about the new US plan.