Ukraine’s Zelensky, US’ Trump and Russia’s Putin: peace negotiations?
THE GATEWAY PUNDIT | Published February 7, 2025
Remember when any talk of peace negotiations was strictly forbidden, and anyone talking about that would be branded a ‘Putin puppet’?
Well, now, hardly a day passes by without some relevant development and statement by the central players about the peace process between the US and Russia that will end the war in Ukraine.
Today, a rather sensational report emerged from the Ukrainian press, alleging to be a ‘leak’ of US President Donald J. Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine.
According to the unverified ‘plans’, Trump will force Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky into a ceasefire with Russia by Easter.
Daily Mail reported:
“The unconfirmed plans, reported by Ukrainian outlet Strana, have been doing the rounds in ‘political and diplomatic circles’ in Ukraine, and will include a ceasefire by April 20 that would freeze Russia’s steady advance, a ban on Ukraine from joining NATO, and a demand for Kyiv to accept Russian sovereignty on annexed land. On top of this, Ukrainian troops will be made to leave Russia’s Kursk region, where it launched a counteroffensive in August, while a contingent of European soldiers, which could include British troops, would be asked to police a demilitarized zone. American troops will not be involved in this contingent.”
The plan would reportedly see the EU assisting Ukraine in its reconstruction.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has been quick to dismiss these ‘ceasefire plans’ and the White House has not commented on the reports – though we now know that negotiations between US and Russia have been going on at a fast pace.
“But if confirmed, it would see Zelensky and Vladimir Putin sharing a phone call within days before the warring pair meet either in late February or early March. An official ceasefire declaration would then be made on April 20.”
A declaration on the end of the war would then be released by May 9 (the 80th anniversary of the defeat of the German Nazis in WW2), after which Kiev would not extend martial law or mobilize troops.
“While many of the terms of the reported plans include concessions for Ukraine, Trump is also reportedly planning on continuing American support for Ukraine’s military, as well as a pathway for it to join the EU by 2030.”
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SOURCE: www.thegatewaypundit.com
RELATED: Peace talks? Ukraine and Russia already tried negotiating, but that didn’t go well
EURONEWS | Published February 7, 2025
When Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to negotiate with Vladimir Putin to end the war, it wasn’t the first time Ukraine’s leader had announced his readiness to talk to Moscow. In fact, the two sides already tried to negotiate in the early days of the war.
On 28 February 2022, four days into Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces had already occupied some towns on the Azov Sea coast, got close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the city of Mariupol, and were pushing towards Kyiv.
While millions of people across the country were sheltering from relentless missile and drone attacks, Ukrainian and Russian officials sat down for the first attempted negotiations to put an end to the war.
The delegations met on the border with Moscow’s key ally, Belarus, following the call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his counterpart in Minsk, Alexander Lukashenko.
“We agreed that the Ukrainian delegation would meet with the Russian delegation without preconditions on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River,” Zelenskyy said, as Ukraine called for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian forces. Moscow didn’t reveal its aim in the negotiation.
Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not participate in person.
Three rounds of talks were held in Belarus before they moved online on 14 March. By that time, Russian forces occupied the towns around Kyiv and started the alleged atrocities against the population of Hostomel, Irpin and Bucha.
When Moscow forces were pushed out of the Kyiv region, some of the starkest photographic and video evidence of Russian brutality in Ukraine emerged, throwing the early negotiations process into disarray.
Visiting Bucha in early April 2022, where bodies of civilians were found on the streets, tied and shot at close range by Russian troops before their withdrawal, Zelenskyy said, “That is real genocide, what you have seen here”.
Yet, as Kyiv embarked on war crimes investigations, having discovered the mass graves and Russian torture chambers for the first time, Zelenskyy said the peace talks would continue with Moscow “because Ukraine must have peace.”
“We are in Europe in the 21st century. We will continue efforts diplomatically and militarily,” he said. Yet, he admitted, “It’s very difficult to talk when you see what they’ve done here.”
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SOURCE: www.euronews.com
