Ukraine to share revised peace plan with US: Zelenskiy
Ukraine will share its revised peace plan aimed at ending Russia’s war with the United States, following talks in London between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and leaders of France, Germany and Britain.
As the war approaches its four-year anniversary, Kiev, under pressure from the White House to reach a peace deal as soon as possible, wants to balance the US-backed draft that is widely seen as favorable to Moscow.
The meeting hastily organized by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Zelenskiy on Monday aimed to strengthen Ukraine’s hand.
Zelenskiy told reporters after the meeting that the revised plan consists of 20 articles, but an agreement has still not been reached on giving up the lands that Moscow insistently wants.
“The mood of Americans is towards compromise in principle,” he said.
“Of course there are complex issues with the region and no consensus has been found there yet.”
He repeated his oft-expressed view that Ukraine could not give up any part of its territory.
A British government source had previously said Monday’s meeting would focus on exploiting the value of Russian assets frozen in the West.
Leaders from Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden called on the European Union to act quickly with a delayed proposal to use these assets to fund Ukraine.
Starmer, Macron, Merz and Zelenskiy also aim to obtain security guarantees from the United States to deter attacks from Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The release of a US ceasefire plan last month has gone some way to focusing the minds of European leaders who fear Kiev may be forced to concede to many of Russia’s demands, which some fear could destabilize the continent.
But while U.S. officials say they are in the final stages of reaching a deal, so far there is little sign that either Ukraine or Russia are willing to sign the framework agreement drawn up by Trump’s negotiators.
“We stand with Ukraine and if there is to be a ceasefire, it must be a fair and lasting ceasefire,” Starmer said after welcoming the leaders to his home in Downing Street.
Macron and Merz also expressed their determination to move forward with a solid plan at a time that the German chancellor described as “decisive for all of us”.
Zelenskiy noted the delicate balancing act European powers must do as they try to negotiate better terms for the proposed US plan.
“There are things we can’t handle without the Americans, there are things we can’t handle without Europe, so we have to make some important decisions,” he said.
Zelenskiy said in a video address to Ukrainians late Sunday that a “new diplomatic week” had begun.
“First of all, security issues, support for our resilience, support packages for our defense. First of all, air defense and long-term financing for Ukraine. Of course, we will discuss a common vision and common positions in the negotiations,” he said.
Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult periods of the war.
Russian troops are advancing in the east, and Ukrainian cities and towns are experiencing power outages for hours due to intense Russian attacks on the power grid and other key infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner brought a revised plan to Moscow last week, then spent several more days in talks with Ukrainian officials in Miami that ended Saturday with no progress.
Zelenskiy said the discussions were constructive but not easy.
Trump said on Sunday he was “disappointed” in Zelenskiy and accused him of not reading the latest US-backed proposals.
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