Trump presses Kyiv toward peace talks, claiming 'it is losing' - The Wall Street Journal

European expectations for negotiations

European officials believe that reaching an agreement on settlement terms between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia will take considerable time.
US administration representatives stress that Washington is not pressuring Kyiv into accepting any outcome that the Ukrainian side considers unacceptable.

According to the American side, three core issues remain unresolved: territory, Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, and the future of frozen Russian assets.

US position and tensions with Europe

The report notes that President Trump has increased pressure on Ukraine, urging a rapid agreement on the formula proposed by Washington. His goal is to strengthen the US negotiating position, while European partners emphasize that robust American security guarantees are essential for any durable peace.

Deepening the gap with European leaders, Trump sharply criticized their approach, arguing that they display weakness and that, in his view, Russia holds the advantage in any future negotiations with Ukraine.

Context

Ukraine, together with the United States and European partners, is working on three key documents that form the basis of a future peace plan: a framework agreement, a package of security guarantees, and a separate document outlining the core principles for post-war recovery.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that elections in Ukraine are possible only under two conditions: guaranteed security and the introduction of necessary legislative changes. He also rejected claims that authorities are avoiding elections for political gain, calling such accusations unfounded and stressing that voting can take place only when safe conditions for citizens are ensured.

Ukraine continues to view NATO membership as a long-term strategic goal. However, the United States is currently unwilling to support accession and is instead discussing multilateral security mechanisms that could provide Kyiv with protection comparable to that offered by the Alliance.

Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Andrii Melnyk, recently issued a sharp response to Russia’s so-called list of conditions for ending the war, stating that such demands have nothing to do with a genuine path to peace and reflect only an attempt by the Kremlin to impose its own terms.