- US,
Russia to meet soon on Ukraine peace deal. - US
advisers met top Ukrainian aides recently. - Talks
in Switzerland on 28-point peace plan.
According to a U.S. official and two European sources, Army
Secretary Dan Driscoll, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump negotiator
Steve Witkoff will meet with President Volodmyr Zelenskyy’s aides in Geneva on
Sunday before addressing the Russians.
President Donald Trump sent Driscoll to Kyiv this week to
present a 28-point peace plan that would necessitate major concessions from
Ukraine, which prompted the quick diplomacy. It would prohibit Ukraine from
joining NATO, limit the size of the Ukrainian army, and give Russia territory
it hasn’t taken during its four-year invasion of Ukraine. According to
Zelenksyy, Kyiv must decide whether to “lose its dignity or… lose a key
partner” as a result of the plan.
After meeting with Zelenksyy, Driscoll informed a group of
European ambassadors that Ukraine would not be able to reclaim land because the
continent could not equal the output of the Russian defense industry. According
to one diplomat, a European official present, and a source acquainted with the
meeting, he declared that the moment for a settlement had come. A portion of
Driscoll’s discussion, such as his statement regarding industrial capacity, has
not been published before.
“No deal is perfect, but it must be done sooner rather
than later,”
Driscoll said,
according to the European official at the meeting. U.S. armed forces “love”
Ukraine and stand by its military, Driscoll said, but
“the honest U.S. military
assessment is that Ukraine is in a very bad position and now is the best time
for peace.”
According to the official in attendance, Julie Davis, charge
d’affaires for the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, informed the gathering that the
U.S. values Ukraine’s accomplishments. However, if Kyiv wishes to remain a
sovereign country with a strong economy and security in the future, it will not
be able to hold onto its current position.
According to the European official in attendance, Driscoll
refuted the idea that the proposal was made without Ukrainian input. He
informed the gathering that Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and prosperity
would be included in U.S. security guarantees. According to the official, he
added that the United States will construct a high-tech demilitarized zone on
the front line. He told the ambassadors in Kyiv that “they would not be
here if they did not believe a deal could be reached” in response to a question
about if Russia accepted the idea.
According to Army Col. Dave Butler, Driscoll’s spokesperson,
the Army chief “discussed U.S. intentions, the urgency and momentum we’ve
achieved.” The exchange was constructive.
“We take this opportunity to underline the strength of
our continued support to Ukraine,”
they said in a joint statement from the
EU and 12 countries at the summit.
“We will continue to coordinate closely
with Ukraine and the U.S. over the coming days.”
European Council President António Costa said on Saturday on
X that leaders of 27 EU nations will meet in Angola on Monday to draft their
own counterproposal for peace.
According to two of the European officials, Driscoll was
originally supposed to travel to London next to speak with European allies, but
that plan was canceled after NATO allies objected.
Democrats were skeptical as well. At the Halifax
International Security Forum on Friday, Senate Foreign Relations Senator Jeanne
Shaheen (D-NH) stated that the U.S. approach
“seems to me like a plan
that’s been written by Russia about Ukraine, and it was done without our
European partners.”
How could proposed territorial concessions affect Ukraine’s
security?
The proposed territorial concessions in the peace plan could
significantly undermine Ukraine’s security by forcing it to relinquish control
over crucial regions, including Crimea and corridor of the Donbas, which are
presently honored as de facto Russian home in the plan.
Similar concessions challenge Ukraine’s sovereignty,
contradicting its indigenous commitments, including the NATO class and
territorial integrity. The plan’s limitations on Ukraine’s service size and
prohibition on NATO forces detailing in Ukraine further weaken its defense
capacity and long- term security guarantees.
Experts advise this could buoy Russia, leaving Ukraine
vulnerable to unborn aggression and destabilizing European security. The
concessions could also fracture Ukrainian resoluteness and morale, as numerous
Ukrainians oppose ceding land.
