US President Donald Trump's plan envisages Russia retaining control over the occupied territories of Ukraine – this condition is "set in stone". According to The Times, it is an ultimatum for Kyiv: either accept it or lose US support.

Source: The Times, citing a source close to Steve Witkoff, Trump's Special Envoy for the Middle East

Derails: According to the source, Trump believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "really has no choice" but to agree to the proposed plan. He is threatening to withdraw from the peace process as early as next week if a deal is not reached.

The US proposal, presented by Witkoff to both Moscow and Kyiv, includes official US recognition of Russia's control over Crimea and de facto recognition of Russian control over parts of Ukraine's south and east seized after the full-scale invasion in 2022.

A competing European-Ukrainian proposal states that the issue of territorial control should be discussed only after a ceasefire is achieved.

"Trump's view is that this land has been seized and it is not going back. The deal on the table is that the Russian-occupied territory is going to remain occupied. Russia’s not pulling it out of it. That part is set in stone," the source close to Witkoff said.

According to the source, the US believes that if Ukraine rejects this deal, the war will continue for months or even years, with Kyiv depending on funding and weapons supplies from Europe.

"The [US] funding cut-off actually is going to have as much of an impact as the weapons cut-off [this year], because Ukraine uses that money to buy more weapons from other allies," the source noted.

When asked if this was a "take it or leave it" option, the source replied that the US sees the situation as "take it or take it".

Quote: "The Americans also believe European public opinion will turn against the huge expenditure required to keep Ukraine in the war as the continent heads towards recession – partly caused by Trump's tariffs."

Details: After three hours of talks between Witkoff and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday 25 April, Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy advisor, who also attended the meeting, described the negotiations as constructive and useful.

"This conversation allowed Russia and the United States to further bring their positions closer together, not only on Ukraine but also on a number of other international issues," Ushakov stated.

Trump demonstrated his tough stance on the Russian-occupied territories, telling Time magazine on Friday that "Crimea will stay with Russia" and again blamed Kyiv for provoking Moscow's invasion.

Background: 

• Earlier, CNN reported that there remain serious differences between Washington and Kyiv regarding the terms of a framework peace agreement with Russia. The main sticking points are security guarantees for Ukraine and the US position on recognising Russia's control over Crimea.
• Last week, the Trump administration reportedly handed Ukraine a one-page document in Paris, presenting it as the "final offer" for a peace deal. In it, the US shows readiness to recognise Russian control over Crimea and ease sanctions on Moscow.

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