The US is exerting significant pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept territorial losses and other concessions as part of a "peace plan".
Modern.az reports that this is stated in an article by the “Axios” portal.
According to the publication, after weeks of negotiations, Ukrainian officials still believe that some aspects of the current US plan favor Moscow and that Washington is putting more pressure on Zelenskyy than on Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
However, an unnamed US official denied this, stating that Washington is also pressuring Putin to soften his demands.
“Axios” notes that the negotiations have focused on two issues:
The demand for Ukraine to concede all of Donbas (including parts not controlled by Russia);
Ukraine's demand for reliable security guarantees from the US to prevent future Russian aggression.
According to a Ukrainian official, the US proposal worsened for Kyiv after Trump's advisors, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, held a five-hour meeting with Putin on December 2.
On December 6, Zelenskyy, his advisors, as well as Witkoff and Kushner, held a phone conversation.
An “Axios” source stated that Trump's advisors sought a definitive "yes" from Zelenskyy when discussing the plan with him during a two-hour phone call.
A Ukrainian official stated that "it felt like the US was trying to convince us in various ways of Russia's desire to seize all of Donbas, and the Americans wanted Zelenskyy to accept all of this during the phone call".
Zelenskyy, in turn, stated during the phone call that he had received the US proposal only an hour earlier and had not yet read it (which led to the US president's negative reaction last night regarding Zelenskyy not having read the plan).
However, an American official called this strange, as the US had submitted an updated proposal the day before.
The Ukrainian official, however, noted that some documents had been submitted the day before, while others were received shortly before the phone call.
According to him, the US proposal includes harsher terms compared to previous versions, particularly regarding issues such as territory and control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Furthermore, the proposal leaves key questions about security guarantees unanswered.
“Axios” reports that there are important territorial issues that need to be discussed in more detail: who controls what, who stays where, who withdraws troops, and how to ensure that if Ukrainian troops withdraw from the contact line, Russia does the same and does not continue military operations...
At the same time, a Ukrainian official stated that the American side seemed to expect Zelenskyy to simply agree over the phone, as mentioned above.
“Axios” writes that an American official emphasized that Ukraine had significantly influenced the current draft and that Kushner and Witkoff were pressuring Putin to agree to some of Ukraine's demands.
"However, this entire episode reflects the simmering distrust between Zelenskyy and the Trump administrations, despite the numerous hours their teams spent on negotiations," the publication writes.
US and Ukrainian officials claim that the Trump administration viewed Zelenskyy's meeting in London as a futile attempt to gain time in the “peace plan” negotiations.
Ukrainian officials state that they believe the US is trying to distance Zelenskyy from European leaders in order to exert more effective pressure on him.
"Zelenskyy cannot make such radical decisions without consulting his key allies in Europe," a Ukrainian official explained.
He added that while the Trump administration is pushing Zelenskyy to act quickly, Europeans advise caution and patience.
"This dynamic angers some in the White House, who consider Europeans the main obstacle to an agreement," the publication reports.
“Axios” reports that Ukraine and Europe are discussing security guarantees. According to a European official, it is currently unclear what role the US is prepared to play in providing guarantees and what it expects from its European allies.
At the same time, two Ukrainian officials stated that the latest US proposal regarding security guarantees is based on a "much broader framework" than the original proposal. However, the document still lacks a Senate-approved treaty.
