Trump–Zelensky Prepare Ukraine Peace Deal?
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are reportedly set to personally negotiate the remaining points of the Ukraine peace agreement. This follows a lengthy meeting in Geneva between advisors from both countries that produced a new 19-point draft to end the war. Direct talks could begin this week, with Zelensky possibly flying to Washington, D.C.
The most sensitive issues still hanging in the balance are territorial exchanges and a new form of security relations between the US, NATO, and Russia. A 28-point peace plan drafted by US and Russian officials was previously leaked, which was deemed too favorable to Moscow and nearly derailed the negotiations. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, called the Geneva meeting the “best meeting” since diplomatic efforts began.
Zelensky said “important steps” had been taken but emphasized that the work was far from over. A Ukrainian deputy foreign minister present in the room said the two sides had “a lot of common ground” and that some points could be compromised, but the rest required political decisions at the presidential level. To prevent further leaks, only one copy of the draft agreement was printed per team. The US team, which also included Jared Kushner, was said to be quite open to Ukraine's compromise proposals.
At the same time, criticism arose that the US was too biased towards Russia. The White House strongly denied these accusations and insisted that Washington was trying to be "fair to both sides." The 28-point plan, long rumored to require Ukraine to relinquish territory not yet under Russian control, is now "bracketed" for Trump and Zelensky to decide, while Trump is expected to speak with Vladimir Putin first.
European countries such as the UK, France, and Germany drafted counter-proposals with Ukraine to prevent Russia from weakening the Ukrainian military and disrupting decision-making processes within NATO and the European Union. The Kremlin immediately rejected the European proposal as "unconstructive," but called many points in the US plan "quite acceptable." Ukraine itself continues to reject Russia's demand to cede the remaining territory in the Donbass not yet occupied by Moscow.
European leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen, are taking a cautious stance due to the lack of clear agreement from Russia. The European Union agreed to accelerate plans to use €140 billion in frozen Russian funds to aid Ukraine, while reaffirming the following principles: Ukraine's sovereignty and territory must be respected, military cuts must not be imposed from outside, and only Ukraine has the right to determine its own future. (asd)
Source: Newsmaker.id
