Negotiations to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia are ongoing, with Donald Trump dispatching a significant special envoy to Vladimir Putin to finalize an agreement.
The week-long discussions culminated on Tuesday when Ukraine consented to a revised 19-point peace plan. However, the Kremlin is reportedly dissatisfied with certain terms.
Earlier in the year, Trump introduced an initial 28-point peace plan that largely favored Russia, requiring substantial concessions from Ukraine, such as relinquishing territory for peace.
This original proposal also demanded that Ukraine forgo its NATO membership aspirations and limit its military forces to 600,000 troops.
Even more contentious was the recognition of Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk as effectively Russian territories, granting Putin control over parts of Donetsk not yet captured.
Russia, in turn, was not required to make significant concessions, resulting in a plan heavily biased toward the Kremlin.
As expected, this proposal was rejected, leading to a revision this week with contributions from Kyiv, the US, and the European Union, striving for a more balanced agreement.
The new agreement, accepted by Ukraine, allows Kyiv to maintain a military cap at 800,000 and keeps NATO membership in consideration.
Provisions for amnesty regarding war crimes from the past three years were removed, as well as the requirement for an election within 100 days.
However, for the agreement to be effective, Russia must also approve the terms. Given the shift away from a pro-Russian stance, there is concern that Putin may reject the deal, a sentiment echoed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
On Tuesday, Lavrov cautioned that if the plan disregarded key agreements made during the Alaska summit between Putin and Trump earlier in the summer, the situation would be drastically altered.
To address potential objections, Trump has sent special envoy Steve Witkoff, known for his role in the Gaza peace deal, to Moscow to engage with Putin.
Trump shared on Truth Social: “The original 28-point peace plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement.”
“I look forward to hopefully meeting with President [Volodymyr] Zelensky and President Putin soon, but only when the deal to end this war is final.”
Witkoff is the second special envoy sent recently, following US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s discussions with the Russian delegation over the weekend in the United Arab Emirates.
Encouraged by his recent success in negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza, Trump aimed to replicate this achievement with Ukraine, exerting pressure on Zelensky to agree to a deal.
Trump threatened to halt intelligence sharing and weapon supplies to Ukraine if Zelensky did not sign the agreement, a move criticized by America’s European allies.
After several key adjustments, a new US-drafted peace proposal was presented to Ukraine last week, with an agreement deadline set for Thursday.
“Over the past week, the United States has made tremendous progress towards a peace deal by bringing both Ukraine and Russia to the table,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated.
“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.”