The US has presented allies with proposals for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, including a description of the terms for the cessation of hostilities and the easing of sanctions against Moscow in the event of a prolonged ceasefire, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
The US presented allies with proposals to enable a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, including an outline of terms to end the fighting and ease sanctions on Moscow in the event of a lasting ceasefire
This step was taken even though US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the Trump administration was ready to "withdraw" from its peace efforts if it did not achieve rapid progress, the publication notes.
However, US Vice President Jay Dee Vance said in Rome on Friday that he was "optimistic" about the chances of ending the war.
The US is optimistic about ending the war in Ukraine - Vance18.04.25, 15:35 • [views_10009]
"The outlines of the US plan were made public at meetings in Paris on Thursday," according to European officials familiar with the matter.
"This proposal will effectively freeze the war, and the Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia will remain under Moscow's control," people said. "Kyiv's desire to join NATO will also not be considered," the publication writes. People declined to provide further details, citing the confidential nature of the discussions.
The Paris talks included a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and US Special Representative Steve Witkoff, as well as discussions between Rubio and national security advisers and negotiators from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.
US officials said they wanted to achieve a full ceasefire within weeks, Bloomberg reported earlier. Allies will meet again in London next week to continue their discussions.
One official said that "plans, which need to be further discussed with Kyiv, will not lead to a final settlement and that European allies will not recognise the occupied territories as Russian". Officials stressed that "negotiations will be contentious unless the Kremlin agrees to cease hostilities, and that providing Ukraine with security guarantees to ensure that any agreement holds is essential".
On Friday, Rubio said that security guarantees were not an "illegal desire" on the part of Ukraine, but negotiators had not yet reached that level of specificity.
"Every sovereign country on Earth has the right to defend itself. Ukraine will have the right to defend itself and enter into any agreements it wants to enter into on a bilateral basis with various countries," he said.
European officials called the Paris meetings constructive and positive. The discussions marked Europe's latest attempt to influence the outcome, the publication points out.
Leaving Paris, Rubio told reporters that he hoped the UK, France and Germany could help "move the ball" to a solution, but also suggested that US patience with their mediation efforts was running out.
"We are not going to continue these efforts for weeks and months," Rubio said. - We need to decide very quickly now, and I'm talking about a few days, whether it is possible in the next few weeks. If so, we'll handle it. If not, we have other priorities."
"Lifting sanctions while Russia continues to occupy large areas of Ukraine may prove problematic for several of Kyiv's allies. The lifting of European Union restrictions, including the unfreezing of immobilised assets, requires the support of all member states," the publication notes.