Zelenskyy says Ukraine and US split on some peace deal terms
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Ukraine and the United States are currently not on the same side on some issues of a peace agreement, but both countries want the war with Russia to end as soon as possible, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a press conference following a meeting with Czech President Petr Pavel.
According to him, Kyiv and Washington have worked productively on achieving peace, but there are issues on which the sides hold different views.
“I believe that it is Ukraine that has the initiative in the negotiations. I believe we are moving faster than Russia on this. I believe we have worked very well with the American side. We are simply not on the same side on some issues. Everything is clear — I am defending the interests of our state,” Zelenskyy said.
The president also noted that Ukraine, like the United States, wants peace as soon as possible, but Russia is dragging out the process, particularly on the issue of exchanges.
“Exchange a thousand people. What is the problem? What is the delay on the Ukrainian side? Who is holding Ukrainians in captivity? We are? Russia is. Why are they not exchanging them? Does the United States have an answer to this question? No. Because there are some issues that are uncomfortable, but they are absolutely fair. Russia is dragging out all processes, starting with the humanitarian track,” he emphasized.
Trump says Ukraine is delaying the peace deal
Recently, US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Reuters that Ukraine, not Russia, is slowing down a potential peace agreement.
In his opinion, Russian president Vladimir Putin is ready to conclude a peace deal, while Ukraine is less ready.
When asked why US-led negotiations have so far failed to resolve the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, Trump replied: “Zelenskyy.”
Talks on the peace plan
Ukraine continues negotiations with European and American partners on a peace plan.
On December 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Florida, where he met with US President Donald Trump.
However, despite all the groundwork and supposedly 100% security guarantees for Ukraine, the most important and most controversial issue — territories — has still not been resolved, although the White House says a solution is close.
Zelenskyy, for his part, said that the peace plan is currently 90% ready, while security guarantees for Ukraine are 100% ready.
A recent meeting of the Coalition of the Willing at the leaders’ level took place in Paris, following which Kyiv, Paris, and London signed a declaration of intent regarding a Western contingent on Ukrainian territory.
On January 7, Kremlin special envoy Kirill Dmitriev was spotted in Paris and, according to media reports, was received at the United States embassy.
Axios wrote that Trump advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Dmitriev in Paris to discuss the US peace plan for Ukraine.
Witkoff and Kushner are planning to visit Moscow to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The trip could take place as early as January, but the plans are not yet final, and the timing may change due to events in Iran, where large-scale unrest has been ongoing for more than two weeks.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy hopes to receive a response from Russia to the 20-point peace plan by the end of this month.
Next week, Kyiv’s G7 allies will meet with Trump in Davos to secure his personal support on security guarantees for Ukraine after a ceasefire.
Officials are negotiating the details of a meeting scheduled for January 21, which may include other leaders of the Coalition of the Willing. According to officials, national security advisers from the coalition also plan to hold a separate meeting.
