Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he expects to discuss the plan – which was reportedly drafted by Russian and US officials – with Trump
From: The Guardian by Guardian staff and agencies
Donald Trump’s latest plan for ending the war in Ukraine would see territory ceded to Russia, Russia readmitted to the G8 and Ukraine banned from joining Nato, according to drafts of the proposal seen by Axios, AFP and the Associated Press.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expected to discuss the plan with Trump “in coming days,” adding any deal must bring a “dignified peace” with “respect for our independence, our sovereignty.”
The cautious response from Ukraine’s presidential administration stood in contrast to the outrage at the plan from some Ukrainian officials who called it “absurd” “capitulation” and the effective end of its existence as an independent country
The plan appears to repeat Moscow’s maximalist demands and violate numerous Ukrainian red lines and would require an about-turn from Zelenskyy, who has said giving up territory would be unacceptable. It would also probably be deemed unacceptable by Ukraine’s European allies, who have long insisted that they should be given a role in the peace talks given the broader implications of the settlement for the continent’s security, particularly on Nato’s eastern flank.
The plan was reportedly drafted by Russian and US officials, including the influential head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, Kirill Dmitriev, who has been involved in previous talks on Ukraine and is known to be in touch with the US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
On Thursday White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “the president supports this plan. It’s a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine.”
Witkoff and US secretary of state Marco Rubio had been “quietly” working on the plan with both Russia and Ukraine for around a month, Leavitt said. She rejected concerns that the plan echoes many of Moscow’s maximalist demands.
Voice of Ukraine 