Trump’s Ukraine peace plan includes recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea

The Wall Street Journal reported the information.

According to Western officials, these ideas were presented to the Ukrainian side during a meeting in Paris on Thursday, April 17. They were also discussed with senior European officials during a one-day meeting.

A response from Kyiv is expected at an upcoming meeting in London, where Ukrainian, American, and European representatives will discuss further steps. If positions are aligned, the proposals may be passed on to Russia.

Now, the U.S. is waiting for Kyiv’s response, which is expected at a meeting of American, Ukrainian, and European officials in London at the end of this week. If the American, European, and Ukrainian positions coincide, the proposals may be forwarded to Moscow.

Additionally, to speed up the process, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the administration may suspend its negotiation efforts if no progress is made on key issues in the coming weeks.

As part of the peace plan, the U.S. proposes recognizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

“Accepting some of the Trump administration’s ideas may prove difficult for Kyiv, as Ukraine refuses to recognize that Russia has any legitimate claims to its territory,” the article’s author writes, noting that previous U.S. administrations and Congress have repeatedly emphasized that Crimea is Ukrainian territory.

Another key point is declaring the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant a neutral territory, possibly under U.S. control.

During a conversation with Zelenskyy in March, Trump raised the issue that the U.S. could purchase Ukrainian power plants, including nuclear ones, calling it “the best protection for this infrastructure.” This plant is the largest in Europe and plays an important role in supplying electricity both to Ukrainian territory and to areas occupied by Russia.

Among the ideas proposed by the U.S. in Paris is also the exclusion of Ukraine’s NATO membership.

However, on Sunday, April 20, a senior U.S. State Department official described the ideas presented to Ukraine as options for consideration, not a “take it or leave it” proposal. The official emphasized that the “list of potential options” was provided “for discussion and feedback.”

According to Western officials, the ideas put forward by the Trump administration do not meet some of Russia’s demands. They do not recognize that Russia has a legal right to control the four regions in eastern Ukraine that it claims to have annexed, although they also do not require Russian troops to leave these territories.

According to sources, the U.S. is also not proposing to limit the size of the Ukrainian military and does not rule out Western military support for Kyiv or the deployment of European troops there, which remains a key sticking point in relations with Moscow.

• On Friday, April 18, U.S. President Donald Trump made it clear that he may withdraw from efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine if there is no rapid progress in negotiations.