Zelensky Shuts Down Reported Trump Peace Plan, Vance Warns U.S. Will ‘Walk Away’ if No Agreement

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the peace deal framework reportedly proposed by the Trump administration of freezing the lines of the conflict and recognising Crimea as Russian territory.

Planned peace talks in London on Wednesday were downgraded as it became clear that major fault lines remain over what an acceptable end to the war would look like.

According to reports, last week in Paris, Washington’s negotiators put forward an outline of a deal to end the conflict, which would include America’s “De jure” recognition of Russia’s ownership of Crimea, which Moscow has controlled since 2014 and is an area traditionally under the Russian sphere of influence.

In exchange, the Kremlin would have to agree to freeze the current front line. While Vladimir Putin has claimed that the four Eastern Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia are rightfully Russia’s — citing disputed referendums held in the regions — the Russian army has yet to fully capture all the territories of the disputed provinces.

Thus, the agreement would mean that Russia would have to cede territories it considers its own to Ukraine. The Financial Times has reported that Vladimir Putin was open to such a proposal; however, the Kremlin has not confirmed the position.

Despite the Ukrainian military having failed to reclaim Crimea over the past decade, or indeed the four occupied provinces over the past three years, President Zelensky said on Tuesday evening that conceding any territory is out of the question, saying: “There is nothing to talk about – it is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people.”

Speaking from India on Wednesday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that the “Ukrainians and the Russians are both going to have to give up some of the territory they currently own” for a deal to work. Failing that, the VP warned, the U.S. is willing to withdraw from negotiations.

“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say ‘yes’, or for the United States to walk away from this process,” Vance said.

According to Axios, the “final offer” presented to Kyiv and Moscow also included a commitment that Ukraine would not become a member of the American-led NATO military alliance. However, the deal reportedly made a carveout to allow Ukraine to join the European Union.

The deal would also off Russia “enhanced economic cooperation with the U.S., particularly in the energy and industrial sectors,” according to the news outlet.

Finally, sanctions imposed on Moscow since 2014 would be lifted. In addition to getting Kyiv and Moscow to agree to such terms, the Europeans would also likely need to acquiesce, given their large sanctions regime on Russia and their holding of hundreds of billions on Russian financial assets, which Moscow has demanded the return of.

Yet, the point may be moot so long as Ukraine refuses to accept the framework. Kyiv has said that a 30-day ceasefire should be the predicate for any negotiations, despite having accused Russia of cynically using the Easter ceasefire to advance its military positions and continuing to strike targets in Ukraine.

Ukraine has frequently made this argument over why any peace deal with Russia could not be trusted. Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Wednesday: “There will be no agreement that hands Russia the stronger foundations it needs to regroup and return with greater violence.”

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