Ukrainian and European officials this week opposed some of the US proposals to end Russia's war against Ukraine, putting forward their own counter-proposals on issues such as territories and sanctions, according to the full texts of documents obtained by Reuters, UNN writes.
Details
According to the publication, these proposals are the result of negotiations between representatives of the United States, Europe and Ukraine, which took place in Paris on April 17 and in London on April 23. They give an idea of the inner workings of the "shuttle diplomacy" that is taking place as US President Donald Trump tries to end the war as soon as possible.
The main differences in both documents concern the order of resolving issues related to territories, lifting sanctions from Russia, security guarantees and the size of the Ukrainian army.
Although some differences have already been highlighted by sources close to the negotiations, the documents obtained by Reuters are the first to clearly and in detail describe these differences.
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The first document contains proposals that Trump's special representative Steve Witkoff passed on to European officials in Paris, who in turn passed them on to the Ukrainian side, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the proposals as a "broad framework" to help identify differences between the parties.
The second document appeared a week after negotiations between Ukrainian and European officials in London, and, according to sources, has already been handed over to the American side.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that he believes the document with proposals that emerged after the negotiations in London on Wednesday is already on Trump's desk.
This diplomatic initiative is the most serious attempt to stop the fighting since the first months of Russia's invasion in February 2022. Russian forces now control almost a fifth of Ukraine's territory.
Regarding territories, Witkoff's proposals envisage legal recognition by the United States of Russia's control over Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow seized and annexed in 2014, as well as de facto recognition of Russia's control over parts of southern and eastern regions of Ukraine.
In contrast, the European-Ukrainian document postpones detailed discussion of the territory issue until a ceasefire is concluded, and contains no mention of recognising Russia's control over any part of Ukrainian territory.
Regarding Ukraine's long-term security, Witkoff's document envisages that Ukraine will receive "reliable security guarantees" from European and other friendly countries. No further details are provided, but it is noted that Kyiv will not seek to join NATO.
The competing document is more specific: it states that there will be no restrictions on the Ukrainian armed forces and Ukraine's allies will be able to deploy their troops on its territory - a point that is likely to displease Moscow.
It is also proposed to provide Ukraine with credible security guarantees, including from the United States, under an "agreement similar to Article 5" - a reference to NATO's collective defence principle.
Regarding economic measures, Witkoff's proposals envisage that sanctions imposed on Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 will be lifted as part of the agreement under discussion.
Instead, the counter-proposals envisage a "gradual easing of sanctions after the achievement of a lasting peace", with the possibility of their reintroduction in the event of Russia violating the terms of the agreement.
In addition, the European-Ukrainian document proposes that Ukraine receive financial compensation for damages caused by the war at the expense of Russian assets abroad, which are currently frozen. Witkoff's document only mentions financial compensation for Ukraine, but the source of funds is not specified.