Ukraine on Brink of Historic Deal with US: ‘Not Perfect’ But ‘Very Workable’ Plan to End Russia’s Brutal Invasion Could be Presented to Kremlin in Days
- Marathon talks between Ukraine and the US have yielded a draft peace plan that could bring an end to Russia’s near four-year-old invasion
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describes the plan as “not perfect” but “very workable”, with a focus on postwar security guarantees for Ukraine
- Russia’s response to the proposal remains uncertain, with President Vladimir Putin likely to baulk at some of the conditions, including NATO-like security guarantees for Ukraine
In a dramatic breakthrough, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that a proposed peace deal between Ukraine and the US could be presented to Russia within days. The draft plan, thrashed out in marathon talks between Washington and Kyiv, is being hailed as a major step towards ending Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
“We are very close to [a deal on] strong security guarantees,” Mr Zelenskyy said after hours of discussions in Berlin. “The plan is not perfect, but it is very workable.” However, the Ukrainian leader warned that some key issues, including what happens to Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces, remain unresolved.
According to a NATO official, the security proposal will be based on Western help in keeping the Ukrainian army strong, with Europeans leading a multinational and multi-domain force to strengthen troops and secure Ukraine from the land, sea, and air. The US will lead a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism, with international participation.
But as the spotlight shifts to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin may baulk at some of the proposals. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov repeated on Tuesday that Russia wants a comprehensive peace deal, not a temporary truce. “We want peace – we don’t want a truce that would give Ukraine a respite and prepare for the continuation of the war,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, European countries bordering Russia have vowed to beef up defences to deter Kremlin aggression. The leaders of Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Sweden met in Helsinki for the first Eastern Flank Summit, where they declared that defending Europe’s eastern flank should be an “immediate” priority for the European Union.
As Ukraine prepares to mark its third Christmas since Russia’s invasion began, Mr Zelenskyy has expressed hopes for strong international support to compensate for damages caused by the war. Thirty-five countries, including Ukraine, have formally approved plans to create a compensation body to pay for damages to Ukraine, but questions remain about where the money will come from.
“The aggressor must pay,” Mr Zelenskyy told the Dutch parliament earlier Tuesday. The Council of Europe is adamant that Russia must foot the bill, but there is no clear pathway for forcing Moscow to pay. One proposal is to use some of the tens of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets held in Europe.