Zelenskyy: Ukraine Ready To Advance Peace Plan, Will Discuss With Trump
2 days ago
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday Ukraine was ready to advance a U.S.-backed framework for ending the war with Russia and discuss disputed points with U.S. President Donald Trump in talks he said should include European allies.
In a speech to what are known as the coalition of the willing allies, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Zelenskyy urged European leaders to hash out a framework for deploying a "reassurance force" to Ukraine and to keep backing Kyiv for as long as Moscow showed no inclination to end its war.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials have been trying to narrow the gaps between them over Trump's plan to end Europe's deadliest and most devastating conflict since World War Two, with Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on Russian terms, including territorial concessions.
"We firmly believe security decisions about Ukraine must include Ukraine, security decisions about Europe must include Europe ... Because when something is decided behind the back of a country or its people, there is always a high risk it simply won’t work," Zelenskiy said, according to his speech text.
"That framework is on the table, and we’re ready to move forward together – with the USA, with the personal engagement of President Trump," he added.
A Ukrainian diplomat cautioned that territorial concessions remained a major sticking point, meaning a final deal was far from certain despite accords on various specific points. "These are really tough questions for us," the diplomat said.
Underlining the high stakes for Ukraine, its capital Kyiv was hit by a barrage of missiles and hundreds of drones overnight in a Russian attack that killed seven people and again disrupted power and heating systems. Residents were sheltering underground wearing winter jackets, some in tents.
Trump told a White House event on Tuesday he thought a deal on Ukraine was getting close but gave no other details, saying only: "We’re going to get there."
Zelenskyy could visit the U.S. in the next few days to finalize a deal with Trump, Kyiv's national security chief Rustem Umerov said earlier on Tuesday, though there was no immediate confirmation of such a trip from the U.S. side.
Kyiv's message hinted that an intense diplomatic push by the Trump administration could be yielding some fruit but any optimism could be short-lived, as Russia stressed it would not let any deal stray too far from its own maximum objectives.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators held talks on the latest U.S.-backed peace plan in Geneva on Sunday. U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll then met on Monday and Tuesday with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, a spokesperson for Driscoll said.
A Ukrainian official said Kyiv "supports the framework's essence, and some of the most sensitive issues remain as points for the discussion between presidents."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that over the past week, the U.S. had made "tremendous progress toward a peace deal by bringing both Ukraine and Russia to the table." She added: "There are a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out and will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States."
Oil prices extended an earlier decline after reports of Ukraine potentially agreeing to a war-ending deal.
In a speech to what are known as the coalition of the willing allies, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Zelenskyy urged European leaders to hash out a framework for deploying a "reassurance force" to Ukraine and to keep backing Kyiv for as long as Moscow showed no inclination to end its war.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials have been trying to narrow the gaps between them over Trump's plan to end Europe's deadliest and most devastating conflict since World War Two, with Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on Russian terms, including territorial concessions.
"We firmly believe security decisions about Ukraine must include Ukraine, security decisions about Europe must include Europe ... Because when something is decided behind the back of a country or its people, there is always a high risk it simply won’t work," Zelenskiy said, according to his speech text.
"That framework is on the table, and we’re ready to move forward together – with the USA, with the personal engagement of President Trump," he added.
A Ukrainian diplomat cautioned that territorial concessions remained a major sticking point, meaning a final deal was far from certain despite accords on various specific points. "These are really tough questions for us," the diplomat said.
Underlining the high stakes for Ukraine, its capital Kyiv was hit by a barrage of missiles and hundreds of drones overnight in a Russian attack that killed seven people and again disrupted power and heating systems. Residents were sheltering underground wearing winter jackets, some in tents.
Trump told a White House event on Tuesday he thought a deal on Ukraine was getting close but gave no other details, saying only: "We’re going to get there."
Zelenskyy could visit the U.S. in the next few days to finalize a deal with Trump, Kyiv's national security chief Rustem Umerov said earlier on Tuesday, though there was no immediate confirmation of such a trip from the U.S. side.
Kyiv's message hinted that an intense diplomatic push by the Trump administration could be yielding some fruit but any optimism could be short-lived, as Russia stressed it would not let any deal stray too far from its own maximum objectives.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators held talks on the latest U.S.-backed peace plan in Geneva on Sunday. U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll then met on Monday and Tuesday with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, a spokesperson for Driscoll said.
A Ukrainian official said Kyiv "supports the framework's essence, and some of the most sensitive issues remain as points for the discussion between presidents."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that over the past week, the U.S. had made "tremendous progress toward a peace deal by bringing both Ukraine and Russia to the table." She added: "There are a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out and will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States."
Oil prices extended an earlier decline after reports of Ukraine potentially agreeing to a war-ending deal.
