The US wants to de jure recognize Crimea as Russian territory, while the Americans are talking about recognizing the Russian Federationʼs control over other Ukrainian occupied territories de facto. In return, Ukraine will regain control over the occupied territories of the Kharkiv region, the Zaposizhzhia NPP, and the Kakhovka Dam. The point is that this is the final US position for both countries, that is, for both Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
This is reported by Reuters, which has reviewed the text of American proposals to end Russiaʼs war against Ukraine, which were presented to European officials by US President Donald Trumpʼs special representative Steve Witkoff at talks in Paris on April 17. The agency published the text of the document in its entirety without changes.
The ceasefire under the American agreement provides for:
- General ceasefire.
- Both sides shall immediately begin negotiations on the technical implementation [of the ceasefire].
Regarding security guarantees for Ukraine, the following points are in question:
- Ukraine receives reliable security guarantees.
- A specially created group of European states, together with interested non-European states, will act as guarantors.
- Ukraine will not aspire to NATO.
- Ukraine may seek EU membership.
The issue of US territories is proposed to be resolved as follows:
- The US provides legal recognition of Russiaʼs control over Crimea.
- The US is providing de facto recognition of Russiaʼs control over the Luhansk region.
- The US provides de facto recognition of Russiaʼs control over parts of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson regions.
- Ukraine is regaining territories in the Kharkiv region.
- Ukraine regains control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant through US management and administration, with electricity sharing between both parties, as well as the Kakhovka Dam.
- Ukraine gains unimpeded passage along the Dnipro River and control over the Kinburn Spit.
The American proposal also has points regarding economic cooperation:
- The United States and Ukraine will conclude an agreement on economic cooperation and mineral extraction.
- Ukraine will be fully rebuilt and will receive financial compensation.
- Sanctions against Russia, which have been imposed on it because of this conflict since 2014, will be lifted.
- The United States and Russia will develop economic cooperation in the energy and other industrial sectors.
The day before Reutersʼ publication, Bloomberg reported on similar proposals from the American side. In particular, the US wants Russia to return the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the occupied territories of the Kharkiv region to Ukraine. The article also mentioned that the US wants to provide Ukraine with passage through the Dnipro.
The Americans, according to Bloomberg, will demand that Putin abandon plans to demilitarize Ukraine.
Trumpʼs special representative Steve Witkoff will raise these issues with Putin during their next meeting, which is likely to take place on Friday, April 25. The American official has already flown to Moscow.
Ceasefire negotiations
Washington is negotiating with Russia and Ukraine to end the war, but a true ceasefire is still in sight. Kyiv has already agreed to halt hostilities in the Black Sea and not attack Russian energy facilities during a 30-day ceasefire. Moscow, in return, has only promised not to attack energy facilities and said it would implement agreements on the Black Sea only after Western sanctions are lifted.
According to Bloomberg, the American side in Paris presented to the allies a proposal for a settlement in Ukraine, which includes conditions for the cessation of hostilities and the easing of sanctions against Russia. This proposal will effectively freeze the war, and the Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia will remain under Moscowʼs control, the publicationʼs sources say. Various foreign media outlets have written that the US will propose recognizing Crimea as Russian.
It was expected that Washington would propose recognizing illegally annexed Crimea as part of the Russian Federation and freezing the front line as part of a peace agreement as early as April 23, as reported by The Washington Post.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to these media reports about the alleged American plan on April 22. According to him, Ukraine had not received any official proposals to give up the territories. He stressed that Kyiv does not legally recognize Russiaʼs annexation of Crimea, because it is outside the Ukrainian Constitution. Before that, on April 17, he said that Ukraine was discussing a ceasefire with the United States, but without the issue of territories. Zelensky constantly notes that Ukraine will not recognize any of its occupied territories as Russian — these are red lines.
Trump criticized Zelensky for his statement that Ukraine does not legally recognize Crimea as Russian. The American president is convinced that this statement is "very damaging to peace negotiations with Russia" and that Crimea "was lost during the presidency of Barack Obama".
- Marco Rubio said after meeting with allies in Paris that the United States could end its mediation efforts in Ukraine in a matter of days if it does not see clear signs of a peace deal. Trump confirmed his words the same day.
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