The Ukrainian government has reportedly agreed to the core terms of a potential U.S peace deal proposal designed to end the nearly four-year conflict with Russia.
Citing a U.S official, reports on Tuesday confirmed that Ukraine has embraced the fundamental framework of the document, with National Security Adviser Rustem Umerov expressing optimism that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could travel to Washington this month to finalize the agreement.
Some minor details of the agreement are still to be sorted out, the official said.
However, following the reports, White House said Tuesday that further talks are required between Ukraine, Russia on the U.S peace deal.
“Over the past week, the United States has made tremendous progress towards a peace deal by bringing both Ukraine and Russia to the table. There are a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out and will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, speaking during a virtual meeting of European leaders on Tuesday confirmed that Zelensky is set to accept some proposals in the U.S peace deal.
“I do think we are moving in a positive direction and indications today that in large part the majority of the text, Volodymyr is indicating, can be accepted,” Starmer said.
“I urge colleagues on the call this afternoon to firm up their national commitments, because we need to ensure we have got the most robust capability, the most robust plans, on the table.”
Speaking also during the virtual meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron said peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine are at a “crucial juncture” and urged the importance of “robust security guarantees” for Kyiv.
“Negotiations are getting a new impetus and we should seize this momentum, not because there is reason for alarm – Ukraine is solid, Russia is slow, and Europe is steadfast – but because there is finally a chance to make real progress toward a good peace,” Macron said Tuesday at the start of a virtual ‘Coalition of the Willing’ meeting, attended by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and other world leaders including those of the UK, Germany, Japan and Australia.
Macron went on to say that “the absolute condition for a good peace is a set of very robust security guarantees and not paper guarantees.”
The latest development comes as the original U.S peace deal draft proposal had drawn criticism from both Ukrainian and European allies for appearing too favorable to Moscow.
The initial deal reportedly included clauses that demanded Kyiv cede land and limit the size of its military.
The subsequent, “updated and refined peace framework” drafted in Geneva over the weekend suggests that significant amendments were made to better uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty, as stressed in a joint US-Ukraine statement.
Meanwhile, Russia has yet to issue an immediate official reaction to Ukraine’s stated agreement on the core terms.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
The war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of civilian casualties. It is widely considered the largest and deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
