Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said negotiators discussing a US-brokered peace initiative remain divided over territory as President Donald Trump expressed disappointment in Kyiv’s handling of the deal.
Elements of the US plan require further discussion on a number of “sensitive issues,” including security guarantees for the war-battered nation and control over eastern regions, Zelenskyy said in a phone interview. The Ukrainian leader said talks have yet to reach agreement on Ukraine’s Donbas, including the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk.
“There are visions of the US, Russia and Ukraine — and we don’t have a unified view on Donbas,” Zelenskyy told Bloomberg News early Monday. He said Kyiv is pushing for a separate agreement on security guarantees from Western allies, above all the US.
Zelenskyy spoke after Trump criticized him — in contrast with comments in recent days about President Vladimir Putin’s reaction to the proposal — saying he was “a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn’t yet read the proposal.”
“There is one question I — and all Ukrainians — want to get an answer to: if Russia again starts the war, what will our partners do,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader was en route to London, where he is due to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the US proposal on Monday.
