Negotiations to end the war in Ukraine have reached a dead end - WSJ
Kyiv • UNN
Peace talks have reached a dead end. Trump accused Zelensky of rejecting the US plan, which included recognizing Crimea as Russian and abandoning NATO.
Negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine have reached a dead end, which has led to increasing frustration from US President Donald Trump and accusations from him against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he did not accept the US peace plan. This was written by national security columnist of The Wall Street Journal, Alexander Ward, reports UNN.
Details
He notes that Wednesday's meeting in London, which was called a "moment to start negotiations," fell apart after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House special envoy Steve Witkoff abruptly canceled their plans.
This happened after Zelensky opposed the US proposal for a peace agreement - for Washington to legally recognize Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula, which Russia occupied in 2014
The author points out that after almost a hundred days of Trump in office, a peace agreement "turned out to be unattainable", as Ukraine considers the potential agreement to be beneficial to Russia, which "causes growing impatience in the Trump administration".
The growing awareness that all parties remain far apart on key issues contrasts with Trump's statement that he could strike a deal within 24 hours. He recently told aides that completing the negotiations was more difficult than he had hoped
According to him, the peace plan, presented last week, would allow Russia to retain most of the territory it has seized over the past decade of war with Ukraine, in exchange for freezing the conflict in its current state, as the US legally recognizes Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, and Ukraine will have to give up its aspirations to join NATO.
According to sources, the document does not contain a direct statement on future US military support for Ukraine in the event of a renewed Russian invasion, while leaving a "window" for EU support for Kyiv. In addition, the document does not limit the size of the Ukrainian armed forces - as opposed to the Kremlin's corresponding desire.
The proposal, set out in a two-page document, was handed to the Ukrainians at a meeting in Paris last week. ... This week's discussions in London were framed as a "take it or leave it" option, offering Ukraine almost a final opportunity to accept the terms imposed by the US
According to Alina Polyakova, Head of the Center for European Policy Analysis, the current US proposal is much better for Russia than for Ukraine.
"Without any real pressure, the Russians are not moving and are dragging out the time, and they are getting what they want: the US is so frustrated with the negotiations that they seem to just want Ukraine to say "yes" to accepting Russia's maximalist demands. If the US gives up and moves on, the Russians will consider it a victory," the analyst noted.
Let us recall
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the meeting in London between Ukraine, the USA, Great Britain, France and Germany, expressing hope that joint work will lead to lasting peace. He emphasized the importance of respecting the positions of each party.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt stated that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is moving in the wrong direction in the matter of peace negotiations. At the same time, according to her, US President Donald Trump wants the killings to stop.
Putin's press secretary dmitry peskov said in an interview with the French magazine Le Point that the war in Ukraine would end "instantly" if Kyiv withdrew its troops from these four regions, namely Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
