Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky firmly rejected a proposed peace agreement that would allow Ukraine to formally recognize Crimea to Russia in exchange for freezing the frontlines of the ongoing war.
The U.S. reportedly included the controversial term in the seven-point peace plan, part of a broader settlement proposal aimed at ending the conflict. The plan is expected to be discussed in London in a senior meeting involving UK, US and EU officials.
Yet Zelensky wasn’t mean.
“There is nothing to talk about,” he said. “It is against our constitution. Crimea is our territory – the territory of the Ukrainian people.”
This position led Ukraine to directly oppose the U.S.-led proposal that showed Crimea was Russian in exchange for President Vladimir Putin to halt his invasion and withdraw claims against four parts of the occupation of Ukraine.
According to the Telegraph, the plan does not contain U.S. firm assurances of Ukraine, and Crimea appears to be based on Putin’s latest proposal at a private meeting with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff.
The proposal, which followed Putin’s advice, reportedly frozen the current frontlines, a move seen as his first major softening of his need for war. But Zelensky is still skeptical.
“Once the talk about Crimea and our sovereign territory began, negotiations entered the format Russia wanted, and it was a huge war. Because it was impossible to agree to everything quickly,” Zelensky warned. “We know where these signals are coming from and they will keep coming.”
It is unclear whether the inclusion of Crimea into the peace plan comes from the Russian or the US side.
European officials briefly covered the situation and raised concerns, warning Putin could use compromises to manipulate future negotiations.
“Now, there is a lot of pressure on Kiev to give up so that Trump can win,” an official told the Financial Times.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are resisting Russian attacks every day, even when drone strikes and artillery strikes devastating cities such as Kharkiv and Pokrovsk.
British Defense Minister John Healey confirmed that the meeting in London today will focus on the appearance of the long-term ceasefire, following up on previous discussions in Paris. The controversial seven-point plan is expected to be a core topic.
The meeting was originally a plan for the foreign secretary after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dropped out of school. Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia will represent the United States.
Back in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov downplayed expectations for a quick solution and told Russian state television: “It is not worth setting a strict deadline or expecting a viable solution in a short period of time.”
