President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday Ukraine was ready to advance a US-backed framework for ending the war with Russia and discuss disputed points with US President Donald Trump in talks he said should include European allies.In a speech to what are known as the “coalition of the willing” allies, a copy of which was seen by the Reuters news agency, Zelenskyy urged European leaders to hash out a framework for deploying a “reassurance force” to Ukraine and to keep backing Kyiv for as long as Moscow showed no inclination to end its invasion.
US and Ukrainian officials have been trying to narrow the gaps between them over Trump’s plan to end Europe’s deadliest and most devastating conflict since World War Two, with Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on Russian terms, including territorial concessions.
Zelenskyy could visit US this week
“We firmly believe security decisions about Ukraine must include Ukraine, security decisions about Europe must include Europe … Because when something is decided behind the back of a country or its people, there is always a high risk it simply won’t work,” Zelenskyy said, according to his speech text.“That framework is on the table, and we’re ready to move forward together — with the USA, with the personal engagement of President Trump,” he added.Separately, Trump told a White House event he thought a deal on Ukraine was getting close but gave no other details, saying only: “We’re going to get there.”
Zelenskyy could visit the US in the next few days to finalise a deal with Trump, Kyiv’s national security chief Rustem Umerov said earlier on Tuesday, though there was no immediate confirmation of such a trip from the US side.
Kyiv’s message hinted that an intense diplomatic push by the Trump administration could be yielding some fruit, but any optimism could be short-lived, as Russia stressed it would not let any deal stray too far from its own objectives.US and Ukrainian negotiators held talks on the latest US-backed peace plan in Geneva on Sunday. US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll then met on Monday and Tuesday with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, a spokesperson for Driscoll said.
A Ukrainian official said Kyiv “supports the framework’s essence, and some of the most sensitive issues remain as points for the discussion between presidents.”
A hastily arranged summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August raised worries in Kyiv and European capitals that the Trump administration might accept many Russian demands, though the meeting ultimately resulted in more US pressure on Russia.The 28-point plan that emerged last week caught many in the US government, Kyiv and Europe alike off guard and prompted fresh concerns that the Trump administration might be willing to push Ukraine to sign a peace deal heavily tilted toward Moscow.The plan would require Kyiv to cede territory beyond the almost 20 per cent of Ukraine that Russia has captured since its February 2022 full-scale invasion, as well as accept curbs on its military and bar it from ever joining NATO – conditions Kyiv has long rejected as tantamount to surrender.Underlining the high stakes for Ukraine, its capital Kyiv was hit by a barrage of missiles and hundreds of drones overnight in a Russian strike that killed seven people and again disrupted power and heating systems. Residents were sheltering underground wearing winter jackets, some in tents.
