Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy firmly stated Monday that his country will not cede territory to Russia, a decision that could sink a peace plan backed by President Donald Trump. Zelenskyy’s comments came a day after President Donald Trump said Zelenskyy hadn’t read the peace deal that heavily favored Russia.
Zelenskyy met with European leaders in London to discuss the war and a possible peace deal. As he left London, Zelenskyy said Ukraine wasn’t ready to give land to Russia — but said the country is prepared to continue fighting.
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“Under our laws, under international law — and under moral law — we have no right to give anything away,” he said. “That is what we are fighting for.”
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine rejects eight of the original 28 points of the Trump peace plan as too pro-Russia.
Russia has said it supports the new plan. Russia foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called it a basis for further negotiations.
“Certain provisions of the U.S. National Security Strategy for Ukraine provide the basis for further joint efforts between Russia and the U.S. to resolve the conflict,” she said.
What is the peace plan?
Several points in the peace plan are non-starters for many Ukrainians and some in Europe. For example, the plan not only bans Ukraine from joining NATO but also bans NATO from expanding into any other countries. Russia has long asserted that an expanding NATO threatens its sovereignty.
The plan also limits Ukraine’s military, but not Russia’s, and — most important — requires Ukraine to cede land to Russia.
Russia would keep Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014, initiating hostilities between the two countries. Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukraine, and the Trump-backed plan would allow it to retain most of that territory.
Another point of criticism is the proposed amnesty for all individuals who participated in the war. Ukraine and global human rights groups have accused Russia of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including civilian mass murder, torturing civilians and the discovery of torture chambers in liberated Ukrainian towns.
Russia also has a history of breaking peace treaties with Ukraine, according to the Kyiv Independent. When Russian troops invaded Crimea in 2014, they violated the 1997 Russian-Ukrainian Treaty of Friendship, which was a mutual commitment not to harm the security of each other.
At least five other treaties signed by the two countries have failed, including the Minsk-2, which only lasted a few minutes, according to the publication. The Minsk-2 treaty was a sequel to the Minsk-1, which the Ukrainian military said Russia broke within hours.
However, the Trump peace plan does have a security agreement with several other countries. If Russia invades Ukraine again, the U.S. would conduct a “coordinated military response.”
What’s next for the Ukraine war?
Zelenskyy was expected to travel to Italy on Monday night after a trip to Belgium. During his trip, he will meet with NATO leaders to further discuss an end to the war.
Russian and Ukrainian officials say the other has launched attacks into their respective countries. In Russia, officials report that Ukraine struck six municipalities in the Belgorod region in a drone attack. They did not report any injuries in the attack.
However, a Russian drone strike killed an unspecified number of people in Sumy, Ukraine. The attack targeted the area’s energy system.
