The United States threatened to cut intelligence sharing and arms supplies to Ukraine to pressure it to accept the framework of a peace agreement sponsored by Washington, said two people familiar with the matter.
Washington presented kyiv with a 28-point plan that endorses some of Russia’s main demands in the war, among them that kyiv gives up more territory, reduces the size of its Army and forever abandons the hope of joining NATO.
The sources, who asked to remain anonymous, said kyiv is under greater pressure from Washington than during any previous peace talks. and that the United States wants Ukraine to sign a framework for the agreement by Thursday.
A delegation of senior US military officials met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in kyiv on Thursday. The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and the military’s public affairs chief who traveled with the delegation described the meeting as a success and said Washington is seeking an “aggressive timeline” for the signing of a document between the United States and Ukraine.
Zelensky, who had a phone call on Friday with the leaders of his allies the United Kingdom, Germany and France, he seemed careful not to reject the US plan or offend Americans.
“We value the efforts of the United States, President (Donald) Trump and his team to end this war. We are working on the document prepared by the American side. “It must be a plan that guarantees real and dignified peace.”he commented.
European leaders, who were not consulted on the 28-point plan, expressed their strong support for kyiv. The European plan itself consists of two points, said the head of Foreign Policy of the European Union, Kaja Kallas: weaken Russia and support Ukraine.
US officials defended the plan, saying it was drafted after consultations with Rustem Umerov.secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, a close ally of Zelensky who was defense minister until July.
“This plan was drawn up immediately after conversations with one of the highest-ranking members of President Zelensky’s government, Rustem Umerov.who agreed to most of the plan, after making several modifications, and presented it to President Zelensky,” said a senior US official.
Nevertheless, Umerov indicated on Friday that he did not discuss the terms of the plann, much less approved them.
“During my visit to the United States, my role was technical: organizing meetings and preparing the dialogue. I did not carry out any evaluation, much less approval of any point. This does not fall within my powers and does not correspond to the procedure,” he wrote on Telegram.
Zelensky, who met the day before with a delegation of the US Armyacknowledged having received the plan, but did not directly comment on its content.
“Our teams – Ukraine and the United States – will work on the points of the plan to end the war,” Zelensky wrote overnight on Telegram.. “We are willing to do constructive, honest and fast work.”
After meeting with a visiting American delegation on FridayUmerov stated that kyiv will not accept a plan that violates its sovereignty.
The Kremlin assured that it has not received anything official from the United States about a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine. kyiv must make a “responsible decision,” and do it now, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Clarity with Russia, Vagueness with Ukraine
The plan, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, It includes terms that Ukrainian officials have previously rejected as equivalent to surrender after their soldiers repelled a full-scale Russian invasion for nearly four years at enormous cost.
It would demand that Ukraine withdraw from territory it still controls in its eastern provinces that Russia claims to have annexed, while Moscow would give up small amounts of land it has captured in other regions.
Ukraine would be permanently excluded from the NATO military alliance and its armed forces would be capped at 600,000 soldiers. Likewise, NATO would commit to never station troops there.
Sanctions against Russia would be lifted gradually, Moscow would once again be invited to join the G8 group of industrialized countries and the frozen Russian assets would be pooled in an investment fund from which Washington would receive part of the profits.
One of Ukraine’s main demands, security guarantees equivalent to NATO’s mutual defense clause to deter Russia from attacking againit is dealt with in a single line without details: “Ukraine will receive strong security guarantees.”
The acceleration of US diplomacy comes at a time when Ukrainian troops are retreating from the battlefield and Zelensky’s government has been undermined by a corruption scandal. Parliament dismissed two cabinet ministers on Wednesday.
With the arrival of the fourth winter of the war, Russian troops occupy almost a fifth of Ukraine and they have been advancing slowly along a 1,200 kilometer front line.
Russia announced that it took control of the city of Kupiansk, in northeastern Ukraine, and most of Pokrovsk, in the east, their first grand prix in almost two years. kyiv denies this, but acknowledged that Russia is moving forward.
