Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly rejected a proposed peace plan from the United States, primarily due to concerns regarding the legal recognition of territories currently held by Russia. The plan, which comprises 28 points, would acknowledge areas that Russia seized during its military invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022. Zelensky stressed that any acceptance of such terms would compromise Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
In his remarks, Zelensky articulated that Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks formal recognition of territories acquired through military force. He warned that this would undermine global principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty, stating, “Putin wants legal recognition of what he has stolen, to break the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty. That’s the main problem. You all understand what that means.”
Zelensky cautioned that allowing Putin to succeed in this endeavor would set a dangerous precedent for the world. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a unified stance among Ukraine’s allies, stating that the country is actively engaged in refining the peace plan with U.S. and European partners.
As discussions progress, sensitive topics such as the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts remain a focus. Zelensky noted that Ukrainian negotiators have successfully kept some of these crucial points within the ongoing discussions.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio echoed Zelensky’s sentiments, mentioning extensive engagement with Ukrainian officials over the last several days. He highlighted meetings with various stakeholders in Kyiv, emphasizing the need for high-level decisions on unresolved issues. “This is a very delicate moment,” Rubio stated, pointing out that some discussions revolve around the roles of the European Union and NATO in providing security guarantees to Ukraine.
Rubio stressed the importance of ensuring that Ukraine feels secure and protected from future attacks. He remarked, “Getting a final end to this war will require for Ukraine to feel as if it is safe, and it is never going to be invaded or attacked again.”
Despite ongoing negotiations, the peace talks have not yet involved Russia directly. The objective of the meetings in Geneva is to finalize a revised version of the plan with Ukraine before presenting it to Russian officials. Although the peace plan has been streamlined to 19 points from the original 28, significant decisions still need to be made.
According to Zelensky, there remains a degree of uncertainty surrounding the dialogue. He mentioned that Ukraine has not received any official communication regarding changes to the plan following discussions in Geneva. “We read a statement that, following the discussions in Geneva, some amendments had been made to the text which we had seen earlier. We’ll wait. It seems that the dialogue is continuing,” he noted.
In the meantime, President Putin remains open to discussions, although no meetings between U.S. and Russian officials are scheduled for the upcoming week. As the situation evolves, the international community watches closely to see how these negotiations will unfold and what impact they may have on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
