The prospect of ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine seems increasingly unlikely as the question of land concessions splits Kyiv and Washington.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured the public on Tuesday that his negotiators “are ready to present [proposals] to our partners in the U.S.” The news comes after days of President Donald Trump claiming that the Ukrainian leader has not even read the latest U.S.-drafted proposal.
“Together with the American side, we expect to swiftly make the potential steps as doable as possible,” Zelensky said Tuesday. “We are committed to a real peace and remain in constant contact with the United States.”
“As our partners in the negotiating teams rightly note, everything depends on whether Russia is ready to take effective steps to stop the bloodshed and prevent the war from reigniting,” he continued. “In the near future, we will be ready to send the refined documents to the United States. Glory to Ukraine!”
The U.S. peace plan, which has been edited and rewritten multiple times as it passed back and forth between Russian officials, Ukrainian diplomats, and U.S. mediators, demands that Ukraine cede large swaths of territory to Moscow, mostly in Donbas.
Zelensky appeared defiant on giving up Donbas during an online press conference on Monday, saying, “Do we envision ceding territories? We have no legal right to do so, under Ukrainian law, our constitution, and international law. And we don’t have any moral right either.”
“Russia is insisting that we give up territories, but we don’t want to cede anything,” the Ukrainian leader said. “We are fighting for that, as you well know.”
But his obstinance on the issue has damaged relations with the ever-fickle Trump, who has complained for multiple days straight that Zelensky has not even read the latest draft compiled in Miami last week.
“It would be nice if he would read it,” Trump told Politico in an interview published Tuesday. “You know, a lot of people are dying. So it would be really good if he’d read it. His people loved the proposal. They really liked it. His lieutenants, his top people, they liked it, but they said he hasn’t read it yet. I think he should find time to read it.”
TRUMP UPS ATTACKS ON ‘WEAK’ AND ‘POLITICALLY CORRECT’ EUROPEAN LEADERS
Perhaps most concerningly for officials in Kyiv, Trump alluded to the idea of giving up on the Russia-Ukraine war altogether.
Asked for comment on speculation from his son, Donald Trump Jr., Trump said the idea he may “walk away” from Ukraine out of frustration is “not correct” but “it’s not exactly wrong.”
“They have to play ball,” Trump told Politico. “If they don’t read agreements, potential agreements, it’s not easy with Russia, ’cause Russia has the upper hand. And they always did. They’re much bigger. They’re much stronger in that sense. I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the bravery and for the fighting and all of that. But you know, at some point, size will win, generally.”
The plan under consideration is believed to align closely with Russia’s goals for the conflict. In addition to ceding Donbas territory to Moscow, Ukraine would be required to curtail its military and be blocked from NATO membership in the future.
Accordingly, the Kremlin has adopted a positive, optimistic tone about the negotiations, saying the U.S. vision is based in “flexible realism.”
John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Examiner that he is “not sure there is a viable path to a negotiated settlement, at least not right now.”
“Putin is essentially demanding that Ukraine accept defeat despite the inconvenient fact that Ukraine hasn’t been defeated,” Hardie told the Washington Examiner. “Of course, the Ukrainian leadership is going to reject such terms, not least because capitulating would constitute political suicide. But Putin still seems overconfident that he can eventually grind down Ukrainian forces. So long as he believes time is on his side, Putin is unlikely to make the sort of compromises that could enable a settlement.”
“Unfortunately, Washington has probably bolstered his confidence by reducing support for Ukraine, trying to strong-arm Kyiv into submitting to Kremlin demands, and echoing Putin’s argument about the inevitability of Russian advances,” Hardie said.
Further divisions have emerged between the U.S. and European nations after world leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reportedly warned Zelensky that the White House could “betray” Ukraine in negotiations with the Kremlin.
“I actually like the current crew. I like ’em a lot,” Trump said on Tuesday. “But, uh, they’re not doing a good job. Europe is not doing a good job in many ways.”
Trump accused European leaders of making their nations “weak” and “politically correct” to the detriment of their global influence and quality of life.