U.S. peace plan stalls over eastern Ukraine territory dispute, Zelenskyy says
global.espreso.tv
Mon, 08 Dec 2025 15:04:00 +0200

Bloomberg reported the information.Zelenskyy said several "sensitive issues" still require resolution, particularly regarding control over eastern regions and concrete security assurances for Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader emphasized that talks have failed to produce agreement on the Donbas region, which includes the contested provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk."There are visions of the U.S., Russia and Ukraine — and we don't have a unified view on Donbas," Zelenskyy said in the early Monday interview. He stressed that Kyiv is advocating for a separate agreement on security guarantees from Western allies, especially the United States.His remarks came hours after Trump publicly criticized the Ukrainian president, saying he was "a little bit disappointed" in Zelenskyy, who Trump claimed had not yet read the full proposal. In contrast, Trump told reporters Sunday that Moscow was "fine with it."The comments underscore significant gaps that remain before any deal can be reached. While the U.S. announced Friday that negotiators had agreed on a "framework of security arrangements" with Kyiv, Zelenskyy's statements suggest major obstacles persist.The Ukrainian president said he is prepared to travel to Washington for direct talks with Trump, but first wants clarity on what Western allies are willing to provide. Zelenskyy has insisted that security guarantees must function similarly to NATO's Article 5 mutual-defense clause, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all."There is one question I — and all Ukrainians — want to get an answer to: if Russia again starts a war, what will our partners do," Zelenskyy said.On Monday, Zelenskyy arrived in London for meetings with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the U.S. proposal. European allies, largely excluded from the American-led diplomatic effort, have expressed concern that the initiative appears tilted toward Moscow's interests.Trump has deployed special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow for negotiations, while Ukrainian officials have traveled between Kyiv, Geneva, and Florida.A key sticking point remains territorial control. The Kremlin is demanding that Ukraine surrender portions of the Donetsk region that Russian forces failed to capture during nearly four years of fighting. Zelenskyy and European leaders have insisted any ceasefire must follow current front lines, rejecting Russian demands for Ukrainian military withdrawal from additional territory.The U.S. framework also includes provisions for Ukraine's potential European Union membership and the use of frozen Russian central bank assets."We are talking to the U.S. — it is constructive work," Zelenskyy said. "But there are questions that concern Europe — and we cannot decide for Europe. We need to discuss with Europe Ukraine's membership in the EU, which is also part of security guarantees."After London, Zelenskyy planned to continue to Brussels for additional talks Monday evening and to Rome on Tuesday for meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni."After that, we will have our joint vision" for the negotiations, Zelenskyy said. "And I am ready to fly to the US if the president is ready for such a meeting."U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Moscow allegedly agreed to his proposed plan for settling the war, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not even reviewed the document.










