Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would meet with President Donald Trump after the United States offered a peace plan to end the nearly four-year war between Ukraine and Russia.
Zelensky told U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll that he’s willing to negotiate with the Trump administration on its new peace plan for Ukraine, officials told Axios.
The plan reportedly asks Ukraine to make concessions, including allowing Russia to take some Ukrainian territory.
Though Zelensky has in the past refused any effort to give Russia land, his office said he expects to speak with Trump about the new plan soon.
Driscoll gave Zelensky the plan Thursday afternoon. It was written by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, his Russian counterpart. Ukraine was not involved in drafting the plan.
In a statement, Zelensky’s office said Ukraine had “agreed to work on the plan’s provisions in a way that would bring about a just end to the war.”
Kyiv supported “all substantive proposals capable of bringing genuine peace closer,” the statement said.
The White House said Trump supports peace in Ukraine.
“President Trump has made it very clear since day one, and even on the campaign trail, that he wants to see this war come to an end.
“He has grown increasingly frustrated with both sides of this war, Russia and Ukraine alike, for their refusal to commit to a peace agreement,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during her briefing.
“Nevertheless, the president and his national security team are steadfast in seeing this war come to an end.”
The plan’s contents have not been shared. Still, sources quoted by Axios and the Financial Times say it includes Kyiv giving up areas of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine, significantly cuting the size of its army and giving up many of its weapons.
If true, the deal favors Russia. Leavitt, at her briefing, denied the slant.
“It’s a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine, and we believe that it should be acceptable to both sides, and we’re working very hard to get it done,” she said.
(UPI)
