US pressuring Zelenskyy to agree to territorial concessions – Axios

According to the outlet, after weeks of negotiations, Ukrainian representatives still believe that several elements of the current US plan favour Moscow, and that Washington is placing far more pressure on Zelenskyy than on Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

An unnamed US official denied this, saying the United States is also pressuring Putin to soften his demands.

Key points of plan and changes after Moscow meeting

The outlet notes that negotiations have centred on two issues:

• Russia’s demand that Ukraine give up all of Donbas, including areas not controlled by Russian forces;

• Ukraine’s request for reliable US security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression.

According to a Ukrainian official, the US proposal worsened for Kyiv after Trump advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a five-hour meeting with Putin on 2 December.

US wanted Zelenskyy to agree to concession directly over phone

On Saturday, 6 December, after three days of negotiations between Zelenskyy, his advisers, and Witkoff and Kushner, a phone call took place.

A source cited by Axios said Trump’s advisers appeared to want a clear "yes" from Zelenskyy during the two-hour call as they presented the plan.

"It felt like the U.S. was trying to sell us in different ways the Russian desire to take the whole of Donbas and that the Americans wanted Zelensky to accept all of it in the phone call," the Ukrainian official said.

Zelenskyy, for his part, said during the call that he had received the US proposal only an hour earlier and had not yet read it. (This explains the US president’s negative reaction last night to Zelenskyy not reviewing the plan.)

However, a US official called this strange, saying the updated proposal had been delivered the previous day. The Ukrainian official clarified that some documents had indeed been provided earlier, but others arrived shortly before the call.

He noted that the US proposal included tougher conditions than earlier versions, particularly regarding territory and control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Moreover, the proposal left key questions about security guarantees unanswered.

"There are major things about territory which need to be discussed more: who controls what, who stays where, who withdraws, and if Ukraine withdraws from the contact line, how to make sure that Russia does the same and [doesn't continue] with the fighting," the source told Axios.

At the same time, the Ukrainian official said the US side seemed to expect Zelenskyy to simply agree during the call.

Axios adds that a US official stressed that Ukraine significantly influenced the current draft, and that Kushner and Witkoff also pressured Putin to accept certain Ukrainian demands.

"However, the entire episode reflects the simmering mistrust between the Zelenskyy and Trump administrations despite the many hours their teams have spent negotiating," the outlet writes.

US attempts to distance Zelenskyy from European leaders

US and Ukrainian officials say the Trump administration viewed Zelenskyy’s meeting in London as an attempt to buy time in negotiations on the peace plan.

According to Ukrainian officials, they believe the United States is trying to distance Zelenskyy from European leaders to pressure him more effectively.

"Zelenskyy cannot make such radical decisions without consulting his key allies in Europe," a Ukrainian official explained.

He added that while the Trump administration is pressing Zelenskyy for quick action, European leaders advise caution and patience.

"This dynamic frustrates some people in the White House, who see Europeans as the main obstacle to a deal," the publication notes.

Issues with security guarantees

Axios writes that Ukraine and Europe continue to discuss security guarantees. According to a European official, it is still unclear what role the United States is prepared to play in providing guarantees and what it expects from European allies.

Two Ukrainian officials said the latest US proposal on security guarantees is based on a "broader framework" than the initial version. However, the document still does not include a Senate-ratified treaty.