Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed President Donald Trump’s seven-point peace proposal with a withering four-word statement. Responding to the White House’s plan, which includes seeing Russia retain most of the territory it has stolen from Ukraine, Zelensky said: “This violates our Constitution”.
The plan would see Russia formally recognised as the owner of Crimea, illegally annexed by Moscow troops in 2014, and most of Kherson, while it would retain de facto ownership of almost all of the other territories it currently occupies following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine would get the northwestern slice of Kherson and unhindered access to the mouth of the Dnipro River. The US would take over the running of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
The US envoy, General Keith Kellogg, hopes Ukraine will agree to the plan today. If Kyiv were to back the plan, the General’s colleague Steve Witkoff would then travel to Moscow and present it to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
However, rubbishing the plans, Zelensky said: “There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine.”
Besides the land concessions, Ukraine would also be barred from joining NATO and all US sanctions on Russia would be lifted. Part of the agreement would also include a minerals deal between the US and Ukraine.
Slamming the White House’s proposals, Zelensky said: “As soon as talks about Crimea and our sovereign territories begin, the talks enter the format that Russia wants — prolonging the war – because it will not be possible to agree on everything quickly.
“We know where these signals are sounding and will continue to sound.”
This comes as representatives from the US, Ukraine, and the EU meet in London today. However, the talks in the UK capital have been downgraded, after US Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio pulled out of the discussions. He has been replaced by General Kellogg. The peace plans are reported to be high on the meeting’s agenda, hosted by UK Defence Secretary John Healey.
This also comes as US Vice President JD Vance seemingly issued an ultimatum to Russia and Ukraine, saying during his visit to India: “It’s time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process.”
He added: “The current lines, somewhere close to them is where you’re ultimately, I think, going to draw the new lines in the conflict.”
