Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Press reports indicate that Ukraine may agree to a cessation of fighting. Ukraine may also cede territory already controlled by Russia as part of a European-backed peace plan.
According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has informed European leaders of the need to reject any settlement proposed by Donald Trump. This settlement involves Ukraine giving up more territory. It also includes the possibility of allowing Russia to retain some of the territory it has seized.
This means freezing the front line as it is. Furthermore, it means giving Russia effective control over the territories it occupies in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson, and Crimean provinces.
The easing of the negotiating position comes ahead of talks between Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. The Telegraph reported this information.
“The plan can only be linked to the current positions of the two militaries,” a Western official said. He described a hectic weekend of diplomacy between Kyiv and its allies.
West.. Concern over Trump-Putin negotiations
Meanwhile, Ukraine and Europe are increasingly concerned that Presidents Trump and Putin could negotiate an end to the long-running war.
“I have many concerns and high hopes,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday. He added that US officials had pledged to consult with European leaders ahead of direct talks between Trump and Putin.
One of the most prominent European concerns was the alleged peace plan approved by Moscow. This plan included freezing the front lines in southeastern Ukraine if Kiev agreed to withdraw from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions it controls.
Ceding territory
Trump said there would be “some exchanges, some territorial changes,” adding, “Russia has occupied a large part of Ukraine. We will try to regain some of that territory to Ukraine.”
The US president announced on Friday that a “testing the waters” meeting would be held. This meeting aimed at urging Russia to stop the war. He added: “We will hold a meeting with Vladimir Putin, and at the end of that meeting, perhaps within the first two minutes, I will know exactly whether it is possible to reach an agreement or not, because that is what I am doing”. I’m the one who makes the deals.”
Trump said he might contact Zelensky first “out of respect”, and then with European leaders after meeting with Putin.
European officials believe Zelensky has room to maneuver with a growing number of voters. These voters will accept ceding territory to Moscow as a price for ending the war.
But Kiev, according to the newspaper, cannot afford to give up more territory. Especially in the eastern Donetsk region. Doing so would allow Moscow’s forces to bypass fortifications built since the First Donbass War in 2014.
Zelensky.. Give up or kill everyone
According to The Telegraph, the Ukrainian president will also have to maneuver. He will be prohibited under his country’s constitution from ceding territory without a popular referendum.
Trump criticized his Ukrainian counterpart for refusing concessions. He said, “I was a little upset that Zelensky said, ‘Well, I have to get constitutional approval.'”. I mean, he has approval to go to war and kill everyone, but he needs approval to do a land swap?
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte described the decision as a challenge to “how to deal with the current situation of Russian control, at the present time, over Ukrainian territory.”
“It’s very important here that when it comes to seizing Ukrainian territory, there may be a reality that they’re doing it,” he told CBS. “But we can never accept that legally, or in the so-called legal sense,” he added.
Is an agreement imposed?
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the peace efforts in a phone call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday. He warned against “imposing” any agreement on Ukraine.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The two leaders discussed their unwavering support for Ukraine. They also discussed continued work to stop the killings and end Russia’s war of aggression.. They stressed that Ukraine’s future must be one of freedom, sovereignty and self-determination.
He added, “We welcome the ongoing international efforts, led by President Trump, to bring peace. They agreed that this peace must be built with Ukraine, not imposed on it.” The two leaders agreed to continue working closely with Presidents Trump and Zelensky in the coming days, and to remain in contact.
