Ukraine and European countries have made counter-proposals to the previously released US peace plan. Officials presented them to the American side during talks in London on April 23.
This was reported by Reuters, which claims to have received the text of the proposals.
Kyiv and its allies are demanding a complete ceasefire in the air, on land, and at sea. The two sides should begin negotiations on the implementation of the plan, with the participation of Washington and European states. This should take place in parallel with the preparation of the agenda and conditions for a full peace agreement.
Europe and Ukraine demand a US-led ceasefire monitored by third countries. At the same time, Russia should:
- return all illegally displaced Ukrainian children;
- to exchange all prisoners of war on the principle of "all for all";
- release all civilian hostages.
According to the proposals, Ukraine would receive "strong" security guarantees, in particular from the United States (analogous to NATO Article 5), despite the fact that the allies do not have a common opinion on Ukraineʼs membership in the Alliance. There should also be no restrictions on the Defense Forces.
The guarantors should be members of a special group of European countries and non-European states that are ready for this. The proposals for the plan stipulate that there can be no restrictions on the presence, armament or actions of foreign troops on the territory of Ukraine. Kyiv will continue to move towards joining the EU.
The Allies and Kyiv propose the following:
- Territorial issues will be considered after a complete ceasefire;
- Negotiations on territories will be conducted based on the actual line of control;
- Ukraine regains control over the Zaporizhzhia NPP (ZNPP) and Kakhovka HPP with the US participation;
- Ukraine also receives unhindered passage along the Dnipro River and control over the Kinburn Spit.
On the economic front, the United States and Ukraine are to implement an agreement on economic cooperation and mineral extraction. Ukraine is being fully rebuilt and financial compensation is being provided, including through Russian state assets. These will remain frozen until Moscow compensates for the losses.
The US sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014 could be gradually eased after a “permanent peace” is achieved. Restrictions could return automatically if the peace agreement is violated under a snapback mechanism.
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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