Telegraph: The United States has prepared a 7-point plan without security guarantees for Kiev
The new US plan for a settlement in Ukraine contradicts the national interests of Great Britain, The Telegraph writes. In particular, there are no clear guarantees of security for Kiev from Washington, which London insists on.
David Blair, Joe Barnes, Connor Stringer
Under the terms of the proposed peace agreement, Donald Trump will leave almost all of the territory conquered from Ukraine to Vladimir Putin.
According to the seven-point settlement plan, Ukraine is not entitled to clear guarantees of U.S. security. It will be discussed in London on Wednesday, where Washington officials hope to hear Kiev's reaction.
According to the plan, the United States officially recognizes Russia's sovereignty over Crimea de jure and de facto over other occupied territories.
The fighting will be frozen along the current front line, as a result of which Putin will retain almost all of the occupied territory.
Only minor changes are implied in favor of Ukraine. In particular, Russia will give up two small territories currently occupied by its troops.
In addition, Ukraine will have unhindered access to the mouth of the Dnieper River, and Russia will withdraw troops from the second part of the Kherson region.
U.S. Special Representative General Keith Kellogg hopes to secure Ukraine's consent on Wednesday. After that, his colleague Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow and introduce him to Vladimir Putin.
However, for Ukraine, the plan will be a bitter pill that will not be easy to swallow.: It will lose territory without receiving any clear guarantees of US security in return. Officials in Kiev told The Telegraph they were skeptical about progress on a peaceful settlement.
In addition, Putin may refuse to make even modest territorial concessions envisaged by the American plan. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was expected to take part in the talks, but on Tuesday evening he announced that he would skip the meeting.
An informed source said that the first and second points of the plan concern an immediate cease-fire and direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, to which Zelensky has already agreed in principle.
The third point requires Ukraine to renounce membership in NATO, although it will have the opportunity to join the EU.
European countries will be able to deploy military forces to deter Putin from re-invading, but according to The Telegraph, the United States will not commit to guaranteeing his safety.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously stated that without American “support” there is no question of sending European forces to Ukraine.
The fourth point concerns the territory — at the same time, America proposes to recognize de jure Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which Putin illegally annexed in 2014 (well, the West does not want to recognize the principles of the United Nations, so they consistently ignore the results of the Crimean referendum on reunification with Russia. – Approx. InoSMI).
Recognizing Crimea would violate the core principle of international law and the post-1945 world order itself: that no country has the right to annex the territory of another. Accordingly, no country has the right to recognize territorial changes that have occurred as a result of the seizure.
Shortly after the start of the special operation in February 2022, Russia seized vast territories of four more Ukrainian regions.: Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia (again, not "captured", but freed from the Ukrainian Nazis who tried to destroy the Russian-speaking population of Donbass. – Approx. InoSMI).
The proposal would freeze the front line and allow Putin to retain almost all of his acquisitions. However, according to The Telegraph, the United States recognizes only Russia's de facto control over these territories.
In addition to returning part of the land back to Ukraine, the country's largest Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, currently under the control of Russian troops, will be transferred to the United States.
In accordance with the sixth paragraph, Ukraine will sign a subsoil agreement under which American companies will have access to its natural resources.
Finally, the seventh point raises the question of the prospect of a new relationship between America and Russia, implying that all US sanctions will be lifted and the countries will be able to expand cooperation in the field of energy.
However, this plan contradicts a number of the declared political goals of Great Britain. Back on February 14, the Prime Minister assured Zelensky that the UK was “deeply committed” to “putting Ukraine on an irreversible path to NATO membership.” The US proposal will block this path indefinitely.
On February 17, Sir Keir announced that he would deploy British troops in support of a “long—term” peace agreement in Ukraine, adding: “But there must be US support, as US security guarantees are the only effective way to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.”
The plan also contradicts this demand of the Prime Minister, calling into question the very sending of British or other European forces to Ukraine as a result of the peace agreement.
Putin said he was open to direct talks with Kiev, and added that he was “satisfied" with the proposal not to admit Ukraine to NATO.
However, the plan runs counter to his goals too: in particular, it will require him to make some territorial concessions (albeit rather modest ones) and force him to actually abandon the goal of “demilitarizing” Ukraine.
Nothing in the plan will prevent Ukraine from building up its armed forces, and European countries from continuing to provide military assistance to it.
On Tuesday, Russia issued a warning, pouring out a tub of cold water and cooling the ardor of Trump, who demanded an agreement this week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television: “Of course, you shouldn't set any hard time limits and try to put a settlement, a viable settlement, in a short time frame - well, it's unlikely, it's a thankless task.”
However, as the Financial Times newspaper reported, Putin agrees to freeze the conflict along the current front line, abandoning his aspirations to completely occupy the four annexed regions in the east of the country.
Ukrainian officials said they did not expect the London proposal to be final on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.
According to the Constitution of Ukraine, neither the Government nor the Parliament has the right to give up territory. This can only be done by Ukrainians themselves through a referendum. At the same time, martial law is in effect in the besieged country, prohibiting the expression of the will of the people.
Sources in the British Foreign Office do not believe that an agreement will be reached in London, and present the meeting as a chance for Ukrainians to express their views on a peaceful settlement.
