During the negotiations in London, the Ukrainian delegation, as in previous meetings, confirmed to its partners its principled positions in the context of a broader long-term peaceful settlement.
This was announced by Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi at a briefing on April 25, Suspilne reports.
He explained that this is not about an immediate ceasefire, but about a general process of peaceful settlement for the long term. According to Tykhy, there are three main principles that have been repeatedly voiced by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and other government representatives.
These are the following points:
- Ukraine does not recognize any part of its territory as part of Russia.
- Ukraine will not agree to limit its Armed Forces, defense capabilities, industry, or military assistance from partners.
- No other country has the right to veto Ukraineʼs choice to join NATO and the EU.
Tykhyi stressed that these positions are not new and have been discussed repeatedly at various negotiations. He also commented on the appearance of different versions of the peace plans in the media, calling for focusing on the official statements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because they clearly reflect the position of Ukraine. According to Tykhyi, one should not react emotionally to these "showers" in the media, because "anyone can do them".
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.
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".
Reuters has reviewed the text of American proposals to end Russiaʼs war against Ukraine, which were presented to European officials by the 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 US wants to de jure recognize Crimea as Russian territory, while regarding other Ukrainian occupied territories, the Americans say they recognize Russian control over them de facto.
In return, Ukraine will regain control over the occupied territories of Kharkiv region, the Kakhovka Dam, and will also have control over the Zaporizhzhia NPP through US control. That is, Washington will operate the plant and supply electricity to Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Ukraine will be fully rebuilt and will receive financial compensation.
At the same time, sanctions against Russia, which have been imposed on it "because of this conflict" since 2014, will be lifted. The point is that this is the final position of the United States for both countries, that is, for both Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
A day before Reutersʼ publication, Bloomberg reported on similar proposals from the American side. In particular, according to the publication, the Americans 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.
- 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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