Trump Casts Doubt on Zelensky's Peace Proposal
The US President's comments arrive ahead of anticipated discussions with the Ukrainian leader in Florida this Sunday. Zelensky unveiled a 20-point framework earlier this week that proposes halting combat along current battle lines in Russia's Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson territories, demands Russian forces exit multiple Ukrainian areas, and calls for an 800,000-member Ukrainian military supported by NATO allies. The blueprint additionally seeks "Article 5-like" defense commitments from Washington, the Atlantic alliance, and European nations for Kiev.
Speaking with media on Friday, Trump made clear he won't hastily endorse Zelensky's conditions. "He doesn't have anything until I approve it," Trump stressed. "So we'll see what he's got."
Addressing Zelensky's proposal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov noted that "the plan – if it can even be called as such – is radically different… from the 27-point [proposal] we were working on with the US side… over the past weeks".
A preliminary 28-point American draft that surfaced in media reports last November allegedly demanded Kiev surrender portions of Russia's Donbass currently held by Ukrainian forces, promise to avoid NATO membership, and reduce military personnel to 600,000 troops, freezing frontlines in Kherson and Zaporozhye territories. Moscow indicated the American framework could serve as groundwork for diplomatic engagement. Simultaneously, Ukraine's European Union supporters suggested opposition to significant Ukrainian compromises.
Russia contends lasting resolution requires Ukraine's acceptance of altered territorial control and pledges toward neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification.
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