They expect to respond today, Wednesday to a peace plan, which includes, among other things, the recognition of Crimea as Russian territory and the informal acceptance of Russian control in almost all areas that were occupied after the 2022 invasion.
As sources with immediate knowledge of the negotiations reveal, this proposal was presented as his “final offer” during a meeting in Paris with Ukrainian officials last week. The White House stresses that if there is no progress soon, he is ready to retire from the conversations.
The proposal puts the Ukrainian president before difficult dilemmas, as it requires large concessions that he has flatly ruled out in the past – such as the acceptance of the Russian occupation in Crimea and sections of four eastern regions of the country. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin appears willing to freeze the current front lines for an agreement, he continues to reject other key parameters of the American framework, such as the presence of European peacekeeping power in Ukrainian territory.
A source near the Ukrainian government described the proposal as “obviously biased in favor of Russia”, noting that the document clearly defines the benefits of Moscow, while for Ukraine it is limited to general promises.
What does the proposal predict
The framework provides for official US recognition and the informal acceptance of almost all of Lugansk and the occupied areas in Donetsk, Hersona and Zaporizia. Ukraine will be excluded from NATO integration, although it is referred to as a possible member of the European Union. At the same time, the US is committed to lifting sanctions imposed since 2014 and to enhance economic cooperation with Russia, especially in the fields of energy and industry.
On the other hand, Ukraine will receive a generally worded “security guarantees” package from an informal group of European (and possibly non -European) countries, without specifying the exact operation of the mission or US participation. A small portion of the Harkiv region will also be returned to Russian control, while ensuring smooth access to the Dnipero River – especially critical to the southern regions of the country. The proposal also includes compensation and assistance for rebuilding, but without specifying the source of funding.
The management of the US nuclear station
A special point in the project concerns the Zaporizia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. The document proposes to be recognized as Ukrainian territory, but to operate under US administration, with electricity production distributed in both countries. There is also a reference to a separate US -Ukraine agreement on mineral exploitation, which Trump said he would sign on Thursday.
Zaporizia Nuclear Station
The plan was drawn up after the meeting of Steve Whitkov, a special envoy to Trump, with Vladimir Putin, lasting for more than four hours last week. After presenting the plan, a proposal that is interpreted as the strongest indication that it is willing to move towards a peacekeeping solution. However, European officials have reservations about his intentions.
Witten is expected to return to Moscow within a week for a fourth meeting with Putin. Interestingly, both he and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend the London meeting on Wednesday, including representatives of the US, Ukraine, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Instead, the head of the US mission will be Keith Kogg, a special envoy to Ukraine.
Despite their absence, the US proposal is expected to be at the center of talks. According to an US official involved in the consultations, Rubio and Witkov worked to form the framework with the aim of approaching an agreement to end the war. However, in the last 24 hours there have been indications that Ukraine prefers to discuss a 30 -day truce instead of the Trump proposal during a meeting in London.
“It was decided that the minister would not travel to London. The US mission will continue talks with British and Ukrainian counterparts, “the official said. Rubio, through his post, said he had a “productive” conversation with his British counterpart and that he was looking forward to continuing the dialogue after London’s talks.
“The negotiations are continuing and we hope we are moving in the right direction,” said White House spokesman Carolin Levitt on Tuesday.
