Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected a new peace plan that would let Russia officially keep Crimea. In exchange, Russia would stop its invasion and freeze the current frontlines of the war.
The plan, reportedly supported by former U.S. President Donald Trump, includes seven main points and is being discussed in London. Officials from the UK, U.S., and EU are attending the meeting. However, Ukraine strongly disagrees with the idea of giving up Crimea, which Russia took in 2014.
The proposal doesn’t promise any strong security help from the U.S. to Ukraine. It also comes after a secret meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump’s representative, Steve Witkoff. In that meeting, Putin reportedly said he might agree to stop the war if he could keep Crimea and some other areas.
Still, President Zelensky doesn’t trust the offer. He thinks Russia might use it to trick Ukraine in future talks. European leaders also worry that this deal could give Putin a way to gain more power.
While peace talks continue, Ukraine is still fighting every day. Cities like Kharkiv and Pokrovsk are getting hit by drone strikes and heavy shelling from Russian forces.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey said today’s London meeting will look at ideas for a possible long-term ceasefire. Even though it was supposed to include top foreign ministers, the meeting was downgraded after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled. Instead, General Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy, is attending.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said people should not expect a quick peace deal.