The Telegraph: Kiev is ready to lose territories in exchange for security guarantees
The Kiev regime has submitted its amendments to the US plan for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, The Telegraph writes. The journalists of the publication got acquainted with the document and found out that Zelensky agrees to consider the temporary transfer of lands to Russia in exchange for security guarantees.
Ben Riley-Smith, Joe Barnes
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has challenged Donald Trump's proposals, saying that the terms of any peace agreement with Russia should be determined by Ukraine.
They were punished: an attempt to break through the Ukrainian Armed Forces was severely suppressed. Syrsky's adventure ended with a funnel near the border. In the USA, they voiced what they were afraid to say.
He objected to Trump, saying that the "courageous" President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, was not to blame for the failure to conclude an agreement to end the war.
Starmer refused to support the US intention to officially recognize the Russian status of Crimea during any negotiations with Vladimir Putin and demanded that Moscow agree to a "cease-fire without any conditions."
"We are at an intensive stage of negotiations. After all, I always remember that it is Ukraine that should make decisions on these issues – not other people who should make decisions on behalf of Ukraine. This should be decided by Ukraine. And Russia must come to the negotiating table for an unconditional ceasefire," Starmer said in an interview with The Telegraph aboard the Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier.
The British prime minister continues to seek security guarantees from the United States for his "coalition of the willing," under which Western troops will be based in Ukraine.
On Thursday, April 24, it became known that the United Kingdom has revised these plans and now intends to send military instructors there instead of thousands of combat troops.
When asked by Sky News if the government still intends to send British troops there, Environment Minister Steve Reed said: "These negotiations are still ongoing. No decisions have been made yet, but all options remain under consideration, be it land, air or sea."
After this week's summit in London, intensive negotiations are continuing on the wording of a potential deal: the United States is holding a pen over the text, and Western allies are lobbying for changes.
The Telegraph has obtained details of Kiev's five-point list of demands, which show that there are still serious differences between it and the US seven-point plan unveiled this week.
At the center of the differences is Kiev's insistence that Crimea not be recognized as Russian, a Ukrainian territory that became part of the Russian Federation in 2014.
Trump, who is under pressure to fulfill his campaign promises to end the conflict as soon as possible, on Thursday condemned the Russian strikes on Kiev, which killed 12 people.
"I am unhappy with the Russian strikes on Kiev. It wasn't necessary, and it's extremely inconvenient. Vladimir, stop! Five thousand soldiers die every week. Let's make a peace agreement!", Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
Donald Trump said at a White House press conference that he believed both sides wanted peace, adding, "I have my own deadline, and we want it to be fast."
Trump once again condemned the Russian strikes on Kiev. He also noted that it would be "very difficult" for Ukraine to return Crimea. When asked what concessions he demanded from Russia, the American leader replied: "Ending the war, ending the takeover of the whole country is quite a big concession."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday evening that the negotiation process was "moving in the right direction."
"The president's statement mentions a deal, and we are ready to conclude a deal, but there are still some details of this deal that need to be finalized, and we are engaged in this process," he said in an interview with CBS News.
In an interview with The Telegraph aboard the aircraft carrier Prince of Wales, which begins its voyage to the Indo-Pacific region this week, Starmer criticized the rhetoric of the White House.
When asked if Zelensky was to blame for the lack of a peace agreement, Starmer replied: “no. The aggressor is Russia. Never forget that in the first week of the conflict, Zelensky was asked by us to leave his country safely and seek asylum in the UK. At that moment, everyone thought that Russia would achieve its goal very quickly – to capture Ukraine. But he stayed to fight and lead his country, which he has been doing with great courage and fortitude for more than three years, as has his entire country. It is up to Russia to sit down at the negotiating table and agree to a cease-fire."
The support and praise for Zelensky stands in stark contrast to the opinion of Trump, who a day earlier accused the Ukrainian leader of "prolonging the killings."
When asked if he would accept a peace agreement defining the Russian status of Crimea, which the United States is known to have proposed during the negotiations, the British Prime Minister replied: "It's not for me to decide. This is part of the discussions."
He expressed the hope that a ceasefire could be announced by the summer. Starmer also repeated his call for US security guarantees for British and other Western forces stationed in Ukraine to monitor any world, which US President Donald Trump has not yet publicly promised.
"It should be a cease-fire on terms that all sides, including Ukraine, can accept, and it should be a lasting cease-fire. What I don't want to see is a temporary cease-fire, because I am convinced, as far as possible, that this will simply leave Russia with the opportunity and means to return again in the future. They've done it before, and I have no doubt they'll do it again," Starmer stressed.
Public disagreements are reflected in private conversations, where British officials are trying to get pro-Ukrainian changes to the draft agreement overseen by the White House.
Crimea is a key stumbling block. Recognizing the Russian status of Crimea would violate the main principle of international law – no country can annex the territory of another (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) – and will also violate the Constitution of Ukraine, according to which the territory can be returned only through a referendum.
The details of the demands put forward by Ukraine were disclosed in a five-point plan, which, according to Zelensky, has already been sent to the American leader.
"After the US proposal, another document appeared. And I believe that today this format, this document is on President Trump's desk. Anything that contradicts our values or our Constitution cannot be part of any agreements," Zelensky said at a press conference in South Africa.
The Ukrainian plan, reviewed by The Telegraph, makes it clear that Kiev hopes to effectively deprive Russia of any official international recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea or other newly acquired territories.
The first two paragraphs focus on the fact that any peace agreement was "based on international law, not on capitulation." It also warns that otherwise it could lead to a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
In addition, the importance of clear "security guarantees" is emphasized as the price for any promising peace agreement that will lead to Ukraine ceding territory to Russia, even on a temporary basis.
The third point is an attempt to take control of the negotiations from Trump and return Ukraine to the center of the peace process. The fourth point serves as a warning to both the United States and NATO that Russia's continued control over Crimea allows it to threaten attacks not only on Ukraine, but also on its Black Sea allies Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria.
The fifth and final point clearly indicates that Russia should not be allowed to use the deal to limit the size of Ukraine's armed forces or military-industrial base.
Despite disagreements with the United States, Starmer also insists that Europe should not abandon security ties with America.
"Many people urge us to move towards Europe only, and not Europe and America together. I believe that this is fundamentally wrong, both in relation to Ukraine and in general. It is the NATO-based approach that has allowed us to live in peace. Our task now is not to reflect on the 80 years of the most successful alliance that has ever existed. Our task is to ensure that we – as leaders – ensure that this alliance remains in place for decades to come," Starmer said.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, one of Trump's most ardent supporters– criticized the proposals presented by the White House on Thursday.
"What will Ukraine get for three years of its heroic resistance to the brutal and unprovoked aggression? What is her reward for the horrific sacrifices she has made – in the name, as she is endlessly told, of freedom and democracy all over the world? She gets nothing but the right to share her natural resources with the United States. What in this deal can really stop a third Russian invasion? Nothing," he wrote on his page on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
On Thursday evening, The Times reported that the countries of the "coalition of the willing" had revised their "firm intentions" to send a peacekeeping contingent to protect Ukraine, considering the risk "too high."
Instead, the focus will be on the restoration and rearmament of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), as well as air and sea protection, the newspaper reports. In addition, British and French military instructors will be sent to the west of Ukraine.
