Donald Trump plans to permit Vladimir Putin to retain certain territories that Russia has seized from Ukraine under a peace proposal.
Although Trump vowed during his campaign to resolve the conflict in Ukraine within the first 24 hours of his presidency, the situation has proven to be more complex.
Tensions escalated between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a confrontation in the Oval Office, leading to a temporary suspension of U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Despite this, Trump has previously criticized Putin for his statements on Ukraine and has attributed the extensive loss of life in the conflict to Putin, Zelenskyy, and Joe Biden.
The Trump administration also threatened to terminate peace negotiations if certain conditions were not met. However, the White House is now pushing for a peace agreement to potentially end the conflict.
This proposed deal, which does not include a U.S. security guarantee for Ukraine, is scheduled for discussion in London on April 23, according to The Telegraph.
As part of the proposal, the U.S. would formally recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which Putin annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
This recognition would lead to an immediate cessation of hostilities, allowing Putin to maintain control over much of the Ukrainian land he has occupied.
The territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia would be claimed by Russia, while Ukraine would retain a portion of Kherson province, including access to the Dnieper River, which is under Russian control.
The Telegraph notes that the initial points of the proposal include an immediate ceasefire and subsequent negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, which President Zelenskyy is open to in principle.
Under the deal, Ukraine would commit to not pursuing NATO membership in the future, but would still have the option to join the European Union.
Although regions occupied by Russia would not be officially recognized as Russian, the U.S. would assume control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, currently under Russian oversight.
The U.S. also proposes that Ukraine sign a minerals agreement granting access to its natural resources, raising questions about future U.S.-Russia relations.
Should Russia agree to the terms, the U.S. would remove all imposed sanctions and initiate cooperation on energy projects.
Keith Kellogg, the U.S. envoy for Ukraine and Russia, will participate in the London talks, with Steve Witkoff heading to Moscow to present the plan to Putin.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on state television: “Probably it is not worth setting any rigid time frames and trying to get a settlement, a viable settlement, in a short-time frame.”
President Zelenskyy expressed Ukraine’s willingness to engage in discussions to prevent further civilian casualties, telling LBC: “Ukraine maintains its proposal not to strike at the very least civilian targets. And we are expecting a clear response from Moscow.”
“We are ready for any conversation about how to achieve this,” he added.