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Ukraine is preparing to send a revised peace proposal to Washington this week, but President Volodymyr Zelensky is standing firm on one key point: no territorial concessions to Russia, not now, not ever.
Speaking after meetings with European leaders and NATO officials, Zelensky said he has “no jurisdiction” to surrender land under Ukrainian or international law. “Russia keeps insisting we give up territory, but we don’t want to give up anything,” he said. “We have no legal or moral right to do that.”
Kyiv expects to send its updated plan to the White House as early as Tuesday.
Disputed battlefield claims
The diplomatic push comes as Moscow claims its forces are advancing in eastern Ukraine. Russia’s top military officer, Valery Gerasimov, said troops are moving toward Mirnokhrad, near the strategic hub of Pokrovsk, a city the Kremlin insists it has already captured.
Ukraine says that’s simply not true. Officials even showed the BBC a live video they say proves Ukrainian soldiers are still holding positions inside the city.
U.S. plan trimmed down, but no movement on land
According to Interfax-Ukraine, the original U.S. peace plan, a 28-point proposal criticized in Kyiv and several European capitals as too favorable to Moscow, has been reduced to 20 points. Zelensky says none of the pro-Ukraine provisions have been removed, and territorial concessions remain off the table.
Two big sticking points persist: control of the Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest in Europe.
Early leaks of the U.S. draft suggested Kyiv would be asked to give up full control of Donbas, even areas untouched by Russian occupation, and share energy output from the Zaporizhzhia facility, ideas Ukrainian and European officials quickly rejected.
Security guarantees still murky
Monday’s hastily arranged meeting in London between the leaders of the UK, France, and Germany was widely seen as a coordinated show of support for Ukraine as pressure builds from Washington.
Downing Street said all sides agreed this is a “critical moment” and stressed the need for a “just and sustainable peace,” backed by strong security guarantees for Kyiv.
But what those guarantees will look like remains unresolved. The UK and France have suggested an international troop presence in Ukraine after a deal, an idea Germany and Italy have pushed back against. And it’s unclear how far the U.S. would go in backing long-term defense commitments.
After London, Zelensky traveled to Brussels to meet NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Council President Ursula von der Leyen. He is expected in Rome next for talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Trump calls Zelensky an ‘obstacle’
Moscow says its talks with U.S. officials have been “constructive,” though there’s no sign Russia is adjusting its war aims.
Trump, for his part, said Sunday he views Zelensky as the “main obstacle” to reaching a peace deal. He claimed Russia was satisfied with the U.S. proposal and said he was “a little disappointed” the Ukrainian leader hadn’t read it yet.
Zelensky responded by saying he is waiting for a detailed briefing from Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, after three days of discussions with American officials in Miami. “Some issues can only be discussed in person,” he said.
