The US has signaled to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine must accept a US-developed framework plan to end Russia's war against Ukraine, "which proposes Kyiv cede territory and some weapons," Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing two sources familiar with the matter, UNN writes.
Details
Sources said that "the proposals include, among other things, a reduction in the size of Ukraine's armed forces." "Washington wants Kyiv to accept the main provisions," they said.
The White House, it is noted, declined to comment on the matter. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on X that Washington "will continue to develop a list of potential ideas to end this war based on proposals from both sides of this conflict."
A senior Ukrainian official previously told Reuters that Kyiv had received "signals" regarding a number of US proposals to end the war, which Washington had discussed with Moscow. "Ukraine did not participate in the preparation of these proposals," the source said.
Zelenskyy, who held talks in Turkey with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday, is scheduled to meet with US Army representatives in Kyiv on Thursday.
In comments on Telegram, Zelenskyy did not mention Washington's framework but called for effective US leadership to help end the war, which has lasted more than three and a half years.
"The main thing for stopping the bloodshed and lasting peace is that we work in coordination with all partners and that American leadership remains effective and strong," Zelenskyy wrote after meeting with Erdoğan in Ankara.
Zelenskyy stated that only the United States and US President Donald Trump "have enough strength for the war to finally end."
The President of Ukraine also said that Erdoğan offered various negotiation formats, "and it is important for us that Turkey is ready to provide the necessary platform."
Signs of renewed efforts by the Trump administration to end the war triggered the biggest jump in Ukrainian government bond prices in months on Wednesday, the publication notes.
Since the meeting in Istanbul in July between Kyiv and Moscow, the publication writes, no direct negotiations have taken place.
Efforts to resume peace talks appear to be gaining momentum, although Moscow has shown no signs of changing its conditions for ending the war, the publication indicates.
On Wednesday, citing a US official directly familiar with the matter, Axios reported that the new US plan involves giving Ukraine parts of eastern Ukraine that it does not currently control in exchange for US security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe against future Russian aggression.
A European diplomat, commenting on the alleged new US proposals, stated that they could be another attempt by the Trump administration to "corner Kyiv," but added that there could be no solution that does not take into account the position of Ukraine or Washington's European allies.
Another European diplomat said that the proposal to reduce the size of Ukraine's army looks more like a Russian demand than a serious proposal.
A US delegation led by US Army Secretary Dan Driskoll is in Kyiv on a "fact-finding mission," the US Embassy in Kyiv said. Army Chief of Staff General Randy George is also part of the delegation, and he and Driskoll will meet with Zelenskyy on Thursday, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.