Select Language:
- Ukraine is resisting a US demand for an unconditional troop withdrawal from Donetsk.
- Zelensky has submitted a 20-point counter-proposal to Washington for review.
- Russia claims to have captured Siversk amid ongoing disputes over advances in Donetsk.
US President Donald Trump expressed “extreme frustration” with Russia and Ukraine on Thursday, according to his spokeswoman, as Kyiv indicated that Washington continues to pressure it to make significant territorial concessions to help end the nearly four-year conflict.
“The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war,” Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “He’s tired of talk, and he wants action. He wants this conflict over.”
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested little has changed in Washington’s foundational stance on how to resolve the conflict since Iran sent a 28-point plan last month that heavily favored Russia.
Zelensky stated that the U.S. is still pushing Kyiv to cede territory to Russia as part of a peace agreement, which would include the start of Moscow’s invasion in February 2022.
Washington’s stance is that only Ukraine, not Russia, should withdraw from parts of eastern Donetsk, where a demilitarized “free economic zone” would serve as a buffer between the two armies, Zelensky explained to reporters, including AFP.
The latest U.S. plan also envisions Moscow remaining in the south but pulling some troops from Ukrainian regions it hasn’t officially annexed in the north. Ukraine has been revising the original proposal and sent a 20-point counter-offer to Washington earlier this week, though full details remain undisclosed.
“The main disagreements are about the Donetsk territories and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Those are the key issues we are still negotiating,” Zelensky said.
He added that Washington’s plan expects Ukraine to withdraw from Donetsk, with an arrangement where Russian forces would not enter this area, which is already called a “free economic zone.”
Zelensky reaffirmed that he has no “constitutional” or “moral” right to give up Ukrainian land and emphasized that final decisions should be made by the Ukrainian people—either through elections or referendums.
“There must be a voice from the Ukrainian people on this,” he declared.
Zelensky also challenged the idea of a unilateral Ukrainian pullback in Donetsk.
“Why doesn’t the other side pull back the same distance in the opposite direction?” he questioned, highlighting numerous unresolved issues.
According to the US plan, Russia would return some of the territory it has captured in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions—areas where Moscow has not officially claimed annexation.
Despite claims to the contrary, Russia declared the annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, and Zaporizhzhia in 2022, despite lacking full control over some parts.
Currently, Ukrainian forces control about 20% of Donetsk, based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), as analyzed by AFP.
Much of eastern and southern Ukraine has suffered extensive destruction, with thousands killed and millions displaced.
Russia, leveraging its larger manpower and weaponry, continues to make steady gains, claiming Thursday to have captured Siversk in Donetsk, where the fastest troop advances in a year have been reported. Ukraine’s military spokesman for the east denied these claims.
Following a video conference with Western allies, Ukraine’s European supporters characterized this moment as pivotal for Ukraine, its citizens, and regional security, according to a statement from the British Prime Minister’s office.
Trump has largely excluded these allies from negotiations, preferring to negotiate directly with Moscow and Kyiv through shuttle diplomacy led by his envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Zelensky noted that while there’s no strict deadline, Washington aims to have a deal outline by Christmas. Still, he perceives no indication that Russia intends to halt its invasion.
“In my view, they need a pause. They want one, but they’re not taking it. I don’t see any signs they want to end this war,” Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, a double bomb explosion resulted in one soldier killed and four wounded—an incident the city’s authorities suspect was an act of terror.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
