The US plan for Ukraine requires them to cede a large territory to Russia and not join NATO. Trump threatens to halt intelligence cooperation and arms supplies if the deal is not signed next week.
A new plan from the United States is to end the war in Ukraine. They want Ukraine to sign a framework agreement by next Thursday.
Now Zelensky says that Ukraine may break with the United States as a result of the plan.
Donald Trump, for his part, is already threatening to cut off intelligence sharing and weapons supplies, according to Reuters, if the plan is not signed by next Thursday.
EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas says the following: – This is a very dangerous moment for all of us.
She says that both Ukraine and Europe want peace, but that they cannot give in to aggression.
The plan includes Ukraine handing over Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk to Russia, and freezing parts of Kherson and Zaporizhia along the front line. This constitutes de facto recognition, according to the draft. The plan has been shared with a number of American media outlets.
In practice, this means that Ukraine must cede around 20 percent of its territory.
It is an area the size of Bulgaria. This is a far larger area than Russia has taken to date.
Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine have rejected this. They believe that the front line as it stands now must be the starting point for a peace agreement.
This map shows the areas of Ukraine that Russia has claimed through an unrecognized annexation:
Will grant amnesty for war crimes
Furthermore, Ukraine's military will be limited, the plan states.
Ukraine must also enshrine in its constitution that the country will not join NATO. NATO, in turn, must commit to not accepting Ukraine as a member in the future.
The plan also includes a point about security guarantees, but it is unclear what this entails.
The plan also stipulates that Russia will receive amnesty for all war crimes it has committed in Ukraine, and that sanctions against the country will be lifted.
Many of the ideas put forward in the 28-point plan have previously been rejected in negotiations with Ukraine and European officials. They will be seen as concessions to Russia.
US officials say a deal will require concessions from both sides, not just Ukraine.
CNN writes that this is a startling reversal of the long-standing US policy of recognizing Ukraine's territorial integrity and not recognizing forced changes in territory.
Putting pressure on Zelensky
The United States has reportedly signaled to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he must accept the framework and its main points.
Zelensky is also under pressure at home due to a major corruption case involving several of his closest allies.
The United States has been a crucial arms supplier to Ukraine, and the dependence on American weapons, especially air defense, allows the Americans to put pressure on the Zelenskyy administration.
The official reaction from Ukraine has been measured, with a statement that Ukraine needs peace, as well as a promise that they will not do anything that turns the diplomatic rules of the game upside down in the world.
The Guardian has written that the plan was nevertheless rudely rejected by Ukrainian service personnel and called absurd.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) is critical.
– A peace agreement must be based on international law and not comply with unacceptable demands from Russia, says Støre in an email to Aftenposten.
Not finished
The plan is still not finished, as there are several points in it that have still not been finally determined.
One of the points in the plan is that Ukraine will withdraw from the parts of Donetsk that it currently controls and that this withdrawal zone will be considered a neutral demilitarized buffer zone, internationally recognized as territory belonging to the Russian Federation.
The plan states that violations will lead to sanctions. The plan stipulates that Russian forces will not enter the demilitarized zone.
The two countries will commit not to change the agreed territories by force, otherwise the security guarantees will not apply.
– Stillborn
The plan is stillborn, says Swedish diplomat and Ukraine expert Fredrik Wesslau, NTB reports.
– The plan contains parts that very much accept Russia's maximalist demands. For example, the demand that Ukraine must withdraw forces from Donbas is a small trap. It will undermine Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian attacks in the future, says Wesslau.
He believes it is extremely unlikely that Ukraine and European countries will agree to these proposals.
