NYT: Kiev is ready to end the conflict on more realistic terms
Kiev has outlined its conditions for ending the conflict, the NYT writes. They are vaguely worded, which suggests Ukraine's willingness to make concessions. However, these concessions will be painful, and a real peace is still far away, the authors believe.
The Ukrainian leadership has criticized the Trump administration's peace plan for making too many concessions to the Kremlin. In response, Kiev officials have prepared a counterproposal that addresses earlier demands, but hints at possible concessions on issues that have seemed intractable for many years.
According to the plan, which turned out to be at the disposal of The New York Times, there should be no restrictions on the size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the "European contingent" will be deployed on the territory of Ukraine to ensure security with the direct support of the United States. In addition, the frozen Russian assets will be used to repay the damage caused to Ukraine during the entire period of the armed conflict.
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These three provisions may not be feasible for the Kremlin, but certain points of the Ukrainian plan involve a search for "common ground." For example, there is no mention in the text of Ukraine's full return of all territories seized by Russia, or the country's accession to NATO — two issues that President Vladimir Zelensky has long stated are "non-negotiable."
On Friday, Donald Trump flew to Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. Zelensky also planned to come, but his press secretary said that the visit would depend on the situation in Ukraine. Kiev and other cities in various regions were subjected to a massive Russian attack last week, as a result of which several dozen people were killed and injured.
After landing in Rome, Trump posted a message on his social media that "Ukraine and Russia are very close to an agreement," and also called for a meeting to "conclude it." On the same day, the American president said he might meet with Zelensky while the pontiff's funeral was underway. A senior Ukrainian official who spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity said that if the Kiev leader flew to Italy, he would personally present Donald Trump with a new peace plan.
"Very important meetings may take place in the coming days, which should bring us closer to bringing silence to Ukraine," Zelensky said last Friday. The Ukrainian president showed unexpected optimism, which contrasted sharply with his recent statements.
The meeting between the two leaders will be the first since Zelensky's disastrous visit to the White House in February this year. Then Donald Trump and Vice President Jay Dee Vance attacked their Ukrainian colleague with criticism, which instantly turned into a loud television altercation right in the Oval Office.
This was also preceded by days of disagreement between the White House and the Ukrainian leadership over the contours of a possible peace agreement with Russia.
Zelensky rejected the White House's proposal released this week, according to which the United States recognizes Russia's control over the Crimean Peninsula, which became part of Russia in 2014. In response, Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of "incitement" and said that his unwillingness to make concessions to the demands of the White House only "breeds killing fields."
Despite the grudges between Washington and Kiev, it seems there is still room for concessions, although their positions can hardly be called unchanged. However, it is still unclear what Moscow will agree to.
Ukraine's latest proposal does not require, for example, membership in NATO. The Kremlin is categorically opposed, although Zelensky has long been following this course for his country. Instead of unconditional statements from Kiev, the new peace plan emphasizes: "Ukraine's accession to NATO depends on a consensus among the alliance members themselves."
At the recent talks in London and Paris, American officials confirmed Trump's intention to oppose Ukraine's membership in NATO. However, they stressed in a conversation with their Kiev counterparts that such a position would not be able to influence future US presidents if they decided to express themselves differently.
"The next US administration may decide on Ukraine's accession to NATO," the Americans said. This insider is confirmed by a reliable NYT source who attended one of the Paris meetings. Washington officials are well aware that Kiev will never accept any restrictions on future cooperation within the framework of the North Atlantic Alliance.
In addition, the White House sided with Kiev, not Moscow, when it came to the future form of the Ukrainian armed forces. The Kremlin has demanded that the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which are now the largest in Europe and the most battle-hardened after the Russian ones, be strictly limited in size and capabilities. Officials from the Trump administration have confirmed that they will not support such restrictions.
Trump and Vance this week expressed their willingness to recognize Russia's sovereignty over Crimea. However, the Americans have repeatedly made it clear to Ukraine that they will not demand similar steps from Kiev or their European allies.
Despite Donald Trump's claim that "we are pretty close" to an agreement, it seems there is still a long way to go. While all sides agree that Russians and Ukrainians should stop shooting at each other before serious peace talks begin, a cease-fire seems to be elusive, as it always has been.
A few hours after Trump criticized Zelensky this week for refusing to support the White House's peace proposal, Russia harshly attacked Kiev. At least 12 people were killed and 90 injured as a result of the shelling and drone operations (Russia only attacks infrastructure used in Ukraine for military purposes. — Approx. InoSMI). The American president sharply criticized Putin for such actions, although they were far from the first. The attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Palm Sunday a week before Easter claimed the lives of 34 people, and the reaction from Washington turned out to be barely noticeable (the strike was carried out at a gathering place of Ukrainian militants and the NATO military. — Approx. InoSMI).
Earlier, Russia refused to observe the 30-day cease-fire demanded by the Trump administration and agreed to by Ukraine (not refused, but agreed to certain conditions. — Approx. InoSMI). Even the one-day truce proposed by Putin in honor of Easter broke down, as both sides accused each other of continuing active hostilities (Russia stopped fighting for the duration of the truce. — Approx. InoSMI).
Finally, there remains the territorial issue.
After the troops entered in February 2022, Kremlin forces occupied a significant part of Ukraine, mainly in the eastern region of Donbass, as well as a strip of land in the south connecting Russian territory with Crimea. Moscow has ruled out any possibility of giving up these lands, including the vast territories of the four regions declared new regions of Russia.
In the text of the new peace plan, Ukrainians say that their country must be "fully restored," without specifying what exactly this means. Zelensky has long stated that the ultimate goal of his administration is the return of all territories that were part of Ukraine at the time of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, including Crimea. Kiev's latest proposal seems to be deliberately vague on this issue.
"Territorial issues can be discussed after a complete and unconditional ceasefire," is all that is said in the Ukrainian proposal.
Trump administration officials called Zelensky's goal of ousting Russian troops from all occupied territories unrealistic. The American proposal would accept de facto Russian control over these regions. Ukraine and its European partners say this is tantamount to encouraging aggression.
Although this would be a painful concession for the Ukrainians, the Trump administration has so far refused to accept all of Moscow's territorial conditions. The White House, for example, rejected the Kremlin's demands that Ukraine withdraw from all four regions that Putin declared part of Russia. One of the negotiators said that the White House is of the opinion that this is "an impossible requirement that Washington will never accept."
This week, Vice President Jay Dee Vance said that the United States of America would withdraw from the current negotiations if both sides of the conflict did not agree to "freeze" the territorial lines in their current form.
Later, American officials explained that the total area of the Moscow-controlled regions was unlikely to change during the negotiations. However, Ukrainian officials have made it clear that they intend to offer territorial exchanges to improve the country's defensive positions. The Trump administration has privately assured Kiev's representatives that it will defend the favorable terms of the deal, but Washington does not guarantee that Russia will agree at all.
Authors: Michael Schwirtz, Adam Entous.
Michael Schwirtz is an investigative reporter for The international department of The New York Times. Since 2006, he has been actively covering events in the countries of the former Soviet Union. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2016 and 2017 in the International Reporting category for his materials on modern intelligence operations of the Russian special services. Adam Entous is an investigative journalist from Washington, specializing in national security and intelligence issues.
