The US is once again pushing a Ukraine peace proposal that would effectively freeze the war, importantly with Ukrainian territories now held by Russia remaining under Moscow’s control – something which the Zelensky government is likely going to reject. White House patience is wearing thin.
The Trump administration has presented allies with an outline of the potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, which according to Bloomberg offers to ease sanctions on Moscow if a lasting ceasefire is achieved.
But the Kremlin has to agree to stop fighting, and one US official cited in reports has underscored that this is not being presented as a definitive settlement, and European countries allies wouldn’t necessarily recognize the occupied territories as Russian. So this is not likely to fully satisfy either warring side.
US officials say they are seeking to secure a ceasefire in “weeks” – but have warned that the White House is ready to move on if it doesn’t having willingness from the Kremlin. Bloomberg describes in a Friday report:
The contours of the US plan was shared during meetings in Paris on Thursday, according to European officials familiar with the matter. The proposal would effectively freeze the war, with Ukrainian territories now occupied by Russia remaining under Moscow’s control, said the people.
Kyiv’s aspirations of joining NATO would also be off the table. The people declined to provide further specifics, citing the confidential nature of the discussions. The Paris talks included a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and US envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as discussions among Rubio and national security advisers and negotiators from France, Germany, the UK and Ukraine.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has once again put Kremlin officials on notice. He not only wants European allies to help “move the ball” toward ceasefire resolution, but has signaled Moscow that Trump’s initiative’s toward peace will not just linger on forever.
American patience is wearing thin, he described: “We’re not going to continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end,” Rubio said. “We need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks. If it is, we’re in. If it’s not, then we have other priorities.”
He further emphasized in France, “We need to figure out here now, within a matter of days, whether this is doable in the short term, because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on.” And one of the post provocative statements issued was (from the perspective of European allies): “The United States has been helping Ukraine over the last three years, and we want it to end, but it’s not our war.”
Thus the US top diplomat made clear that Trump is ready to ‘move on’. But it remains that Zelensky is also not being much of a partner in peace. The Ukrainian leader lashed out at US officials Friday for the suggestion that the war could be frozen with Russia still in control of the four eastern territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.
He said this is tantamount to Washington “adopting Russian strategy,” and said that Trump’s envoys have no “mandate to discuss Ukrainian territories, because these territories belong to our people.”
He added: “We do not discuss territories until the ceasefire. We will never consider Ukrainian lands as Russian.”
NEW: Russian officials continue to reiterate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s non-negotiable demands for extensive territorial concessions from Ukraine while noting that ongoing peace negotiations are unlikely to achieve results quickly. ⬇️(1/2)
▪️ Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry… pic.twitter.com/yF3sV7or5z
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) April 18, 2025
This strongly suggests a very rocky road ahead, but Washington could be setting up to lay exclusive blame on Moscow if ceasefire talks fail to get off the ground. Yet on the battlefield at least, Russia has less reason to hasten to the negotiating table, as it continues to slowly but steadily advance its hold over territory.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 04/18/2025 – 17:15
