Ukraine is preparing to submit a revised peace proposal to the White House, aiming to keep talks alive with Washington while firmly rejecting any agreement that would require Kyiv to give up territory to Russia, Ukrainian officials said this week.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said his government could send an updated plan to U.S. officials as early as Tuesday, following a weekend of intense but inconclusive negotiations between American and Ukrainian teams. Speaking during meetings with European Union and NATO leaders, Zelensky repeated that Ukraine cannot legally or morally surrender land seized during Russia’s invasion.
The move shows Ukraine’s effort to reshape U.S. backed peace discussions at a sensitive moment. Washington has been pushing for progress toward a deal, while European allies worry that proposals involving territorial concessions would leave Ukraine exposed to renewed aggression.
“We have no right to cede territory,” Zelensky told reporters, according to AFP. He said such a step would violate Ukraine’s constitution, domestic law, and international law, adding that there was no moral justification for it either.
Zelensky noted that any change to Ukraine’s borders would require approval through a nationwide referendum, a position he has held since Russia launched its full scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelensky said an earlier U.S. draft framework with 28 points had been reduced to 20, after objections from Kyiv and several European governments who said the original version favored Moscow. He stressed that no provisions described by Ukrainian officials as “pro Ukrainian” had been removed, and that there had been no compromise on the territorial question, according to Interfax Ukraine.
Among the most sensitive issues, Zelensky said, were Russia’s claims over the eastern Donbas region and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. A leaked version of the earlier draft proposed that Ukraine hand over full control of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and share electricity generated at the Zaporizhzhia plant with Russia, ideas Kyiv has rejected.
Despite the differences, Ukrainian and European leaders have acknowledged some progress in refining the proposal and have welcomed U.S. efforts to mediate an end to the war.
The United Kingdom and France have floated the idea of deploying international forces in Ukraine as part of a postwar arrangement, though Germany and Italy have expressed reservations. It is also unclear how far the United States would be willing to support any future security framework.
Read Also: European Leaders Support Zelenskiy In London Peace Talks
Zelensky said he was awaiting a briefing from his chief negotiator, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, after Umerov held direct talks with U.S. counterparts and had contact related to discussions between Washington and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Some issues can only be discussed in person,” Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, Moscow has said its own contacts with the White House have been constructive, though there has been little public sign that the Kremlin has softened its core demands.
President Donald Trump has said securing a peace deal is a priority of his foreign policy. Over the weekend, he suggested that Russia was comfortable with the outline proposed by the United States and expressed disappointment that Zelensky had not accepted it, comments that Ukrainian officials say overlook Kyiv’s legal red lines.