PARIS – During a weekend of intense negotiations in Switzerland on the basis of the 28-point plan proposed by Donald Trump to Kiev, which is widely seen as favorable to Russia, The United States and Ukraine have drawn up a new 19-point peace planwhich Postpone The most important decisionsThe US President and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, will discuss it. For their part, they expressed concern about the possibility of leaving the future of European security in the hands of Vladimir Putin Europeans introduced a Peace is a “counter-plan”This corrects some unacceptable demands from Washington.
After hours of careful negotiations, the American and Ukrainian teams reached agreements on several issues, but… They “bracketed” the most controversial points: including regional issues and relations between NATO, Russia and the United StatesUkrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kyslytsya, who attended the negotiations, said it was up to Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky to decide.
Discussions were led on the Ukrainian side by Zelensky’s powerful Chief of Staff Andriy Ermak and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustam Omerov, with Kyslytsya and a group of military officers and intelligence officials playing a supporting role on the Kiev side.
The US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, Trump’s special envoy to Russia Steve Witkoff, and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose presence surprised Ukrainian officials and observers.
Officially, the weekend series of exchanges between Americans, Ukrainians and Europeans ended on Sunday. But the diplomatic ballet continues. North American Secretary of State Marco Rubio left Geneva on the night of November 23 to Monday, November 24, heading to Washington, possibly to inform President Trump of the status of the discussions.
Rubio was “very optimistic.”
“It was the most productive day ever. I don’t want to claim victory, there is still a lot to do, but we are much more advanced than this morning and a week ago. The remaining points are not insurmountable,” he said. Ukrainian Sergey Kyslytsya also acknowledged the “positive” result. For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky estimated on Monday that “important steps” had been taken, but “to achieve real peace, more and more are needed.”
Reassuring positions were translated on Sunday evening into a joint statement from the White House and Kiev. A future peace agreement “must fully respect the sovereignty” of Ukrainestates the text. Washington appears to be taking more account of Ukrainians’ expectations and interests.
It seems that Ukraine and Europe have gotten some relief. But deep down, the positions are still very far apart. This is proven by the European counter-proposal revealed by Reuters on Sunday. A peace plan based on Donald Trump’s plan, which also includes 28 points, but corrects several unacceptable points in the original American plan.
The European powers first reject the North American proposal to limit… The size of the Ukrainian army To 600 thousand soldiers and they want Increase it to 800,000That is, its current size, according to several experts. This is an important amendment, as both plans insist on not deploying NATO forces on Ukrainian territory. In addition, Vladimir Putin called for the “demilitarization of Ukraine,” which Kiev has so far rejected.
Desiring to get rid of this conflict in Europe to focus on the Chinese threat in the Pacific, Trump requested the presence of European aircraft in Poland to deter Russia. The Europeans prefer the parking area for NATO aircraft, and therefore the Americans or Canadians. A way to directly engage the United States, which today has nearly 90,000 troops at 37 bases.
To rebuild Ukraine, which has been devastated by ten years of war with Russia – since the annexation of Crimea – and three years of full-scale invasion, The Europeans want to use approximately 230 billion in frozen Russian assetsAs long as Moscow did not offer financial compensation. Washington, for its part, wants to create a fund that includes 100 billion in frozen assets and 100 billion euros to be invested by the Europeans.. The Americans are also demanding a 50% reduction in gains. All this without taking into account that these assets are deposited exclusively in European banks.
And at the twentieth point “Ukraine is expected to adopt EU rules on religious tolerance and protection of linguistic minorities.”. To justify its invasion, Moscow claims that Russian-speaking minorities are being persecuted, as are Orthodox churches associated with the Moscow Patriarchate. Since the invasion, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been divided between an autocephalous church — that is, independent and dependent only on the Patriarchate of Constantinople — and one linked to the Moscow Patriarchate, suspected of serving the Kremlin’s interests. The use of the Russian language has decreased significantly in public space and in the media since 2022. If the Americans call for the application of European rules, they also add Banning “all Nazi ideology and activities”, a recurring element of Russian propaganda.
Finally, The most important differences relate to territorial concessions to the Russians. In nearly ten years of war, Moscow occupied nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory. Washington calls on Kyiv to withdraw from Donbass (An industrial zone in the east), and ratifying its annexation in addition to the Crimean Peninsula. Instead, regions (areas) from Zaporizhia and Kherson “will be frozen along the contact line”This would constitute an actual confession on this line.” For Europeans, “exchanges (should) begin along the line of contact.”. It is clear that the Ukrainian army will not be forced to withdraw from the territories it still owns and for which it has made great human sacrifices. This aspect is necessary because it is flammable in Ukraine.
Donald Trump wants elections to be held in Ukraine “100 days” after a final deal is reachedThis proves the right of Vladimir Putin, who claims that Zelensky is illegitimate, ignoring the fact that the Ukrainian constitution prohibits holding such elections during war. For the Europeans, elections must be held, but “as quickly as possible,” thus making room for the implementation of the agreement and facing the inevitable tensions related to its implementation. Finally, the US President requests pardon for the main parties, and thus for Vladimir Putin, under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
The Europeans, like the Americans, also demand this Ceasefire “once all parties accept this memorandum”. So far, the Europeans, especially Emmanuel Macron, have first demanded an “unconditional ceasefire” as a precondition for negotiations. It seems that American pressure has prevailed in this case.
But beyond Ukraine, the main objections from European leaders globally focus on the European security architecture. Trump’s plan not only prohibits Ukraine from joining NATO, but also prohibits any future expansion of NATO. also It aims to place respect for the peace agreement under the supervision of a US-Russian “working group”.It strangely presents the United States as a mediator between the alliance and Russia.
on the contrary, The Europeans and Ukrainians stressed the need to be present in the “working group” that supervises the agreement. Most importantly, the Europeans refuse to subject NATO expansion, including Ukraine, to a Russian veto.
“Any decision that falls within the remit of the EU or NATO will be examined and decided upon by EU and NATO members.” “Under a different measure,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Monday
The challenge lies in rejecting the Russian vision of “indivisible European security,” according to which Moscow should participate in arbitrating the European security architecture. It is also about avoiding a revolution in the post-Cold War European order, which would further jeopardize NATO’s future. The Europeans are not wrong. this monday, Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov, described the European plan as “completely counterproductive.”