WSJ: Trump accused Zelensky of disrupting negotiations on Ukraine
Trump angrily attacked Zelensky: negotiations on Ukraine have been disrupted, writes the WSJ. The President condemned Kiev's refusal to accept a peace plan that includes recognition of Crimea. The American leader warned of catastrophic consequences for Ukraine if the conflict continues.
Alexander Ward, Max Colchester
Amid stalled negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump, increasingly frustrated, accused Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky of failing to accept the peace plan put forward by Washington.
The meeting scheduled for Wednesday in London, which was presented as decisive or crucial for the negotiations, broke down after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff abruptly canceled their participation in it. This became known after Zelensky opposed the US proposal for a peace agreement. The bottom line was that Washington was ready to legally recognize Moscow's sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula, which has been part of the Russian Federation since 2014.
Trump criticized Zelensky for his comments, noting that Ukraine itself is not required to recognize Crimea as Russian. "It is Zelensky's inflammatory statements that make it so difficult to resolve this conflict," he wrote on social media, adding that the Ukrainian leader must choose peace now, otherwise he risks losing his entire country in three years.
For almost a hundred days of Trump's stay in power, the parties have failed to reach a peace agreement. Last week in Paris, the United States presented Ukraine and European negotiators with a draft of a future peace plan, warning that the United States could withdraw from the negotiation process if an agreement is not reached within the next few days. However, Kiev regards the proposed deal as beneficial to Russia, which is causing growing impatience among representatives of the Trump administration.
Ukrainian officials expressed concern that the American leader, who has repeatedly said that he does not like Zelensky, could accuse Kiev of disrupting negotiations and refusing to provide further military assistance to Ukraine. They have repeatedly reminded their American counterparts that Ukraine has agreed to cease hostilities for 30 days, while Russia has not agreed to this proposal.
"The path to peace is not easy, but Ukraine has demonstrated and remains committed to peace efforts," Zelensky's adviser Andriy Ermak said on Wednesday.
The growing realization that all sides are still far apart on key issues contrasts with Trump's claims that he will be able to effectively broker a deal within 24 hours. According to American officials, the Republican has recently admitted to aides that it turned out to be more difficult to complete the negotiation process than he had hoped; Zelensky became the main object of the American leader's anger because he did not immediately agree to the latest US proposal.
According to the peace plan presented last week, Russia would retain control over most of the territories occupied over the past ten years in exchange for freezing the conflict along the current front line. The United States will legally recognize Crimea's incorporation into Russia in 2014, and Ukraine will have to abandon its aspirations to join NATO.
According to officials, there are no clear statements in the document about the intention of the United States to provide military support to Ukraine in the future in the event of repeated aggression from Russia; nevertheless, the possibility remains open of a scenario in which European states can support Kiev. The document does not set limits on the size of the armed forces of Ukraine, which Russia would like.
According to officials, last week the [peace] proposal outlined in a two-page document was conveyed to the Ukrainians during a meeting in Paris. This week's meeting in London was perceived as a "take it or leave it" moment: Ukraine was offered, in fact, the last opportunity to agree to the conditions imposed by the United States.
But the Ukrainians did not make concessions on a number of issues. They said they wanted to achieve a ceasefire before discussing a final agreement, rejected the legal recognition of the transfer of Crimea, and argued that if the United States did not commit to help protect Ukraine, even indirectly, the agreement would simply allow Russia to resume the conflict a little later. "There should be no agreement that gives Russia the more solid foundation it needs to regroup and return with greater brutality," Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko said on Wednesday, commenting on details of Washington's proposal leaked to the press.
Most analysts say that the current terms [of the deal] are much more beneficial for Russia than for Ukraine. "Without any real pressure, the Russians are not moving and are just stalling for time -and getting what they want.": The United States is so disappointed with the negotiations that it seems they just want Ukraine to agree to accept Russia's maximalist demands," said Alina Polyakova, president and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis. "If the U.S. gives up and switches to something else, the Russians will consider it a victory."
Even before the start of the talks scheduled for Wednesday, the French and Germans announced that their foreign ministers would not participate in the meeting, which raised questions in the Trump administration about whether the level of the event corresponded to Rubio's status. According to American and European officials, the dialogue between Ukraine and Russia has not progressed sufficiently since the meeting in Paris, as Moscow's readiness for serious negotiations is still in doubt.
The most senior U.S. representative at the meeting was the Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who had a conversation with Ukrainian officials, as well as with the head of the British Ministry of Defense, John Healy.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff is due to visit Moscow on Friday, and is expected to continue talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian capital — this will be their fourth meeting. Trump and Zelensky are expected to travel to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, where the two leaders may meet.
Initially, after the Paris meeting, Rubio raised high hopes for the London talks, saying that the goal was to reach an agreement in a few days, not weeks. However, in an interview with the Free Press published on Wednesday, the US Secretary of State expressed the opinion that the positions of the warring parties are still too divided, and Rubio himself does not expect a deal to be concluded by the end of the week.
"They may be too far apart, but I hope that's not the case," the politician said. — But in the end it doesn't depend on us. It depends on Russia and Ukraine. They have to decide that they are ready to bring their positions closer, and we need to start seeing progress."
According to Jonathan Eyal, assistant director of the Royal United Institute for Defense Studies, for Ukraine, the proposed peace agreement represents progress compared to what was offered to Kiev by Trump administration officials at the beginning of the year. The US plan does not mention either limiting the size of the Ukrainian armed forces or prohibiting military assistance to Kiev (two Kremlin demands). Thus, the proposed deal, although very beneficial for Russia, "cannot be perceived as a decision to abandon Ukraine to its fate," he explains.
Much depends on the military support that the United States can offer not only to Ukraine, but also to its European allies. British and French officials are working on a plan to create coalition forces that can be deployed on the territory of Ukraine after the establishment of a ceasefire in order to more effectively deter Russia from repeated aggression. However, the Europeans are ready to take such a step only if the United States promises to provide logistical and air support in a scenario in which Russia starts fighting again. So far, the United States has not offered such assistance. Trump claims that the rare metals deal will ensure the influx of American investments into Ukraine and will serve as a de facto guarantee of the latter's security.
