Ukraine is preparing to present a revised peace plan to the White House, as it seeks to avoid making territorial concessions to Russia.
Kyiv is set to propose alternatives to the US after President Volodymyr Zelensky again ruled out surrendering land, saying he had no right to do so under Ukrainian or international law.
He made the comments during meetings with European and NATO leaders on Monday as part of a collective effort to discourage the United States from supporting a peace deal that involves major concessions from Ukraine and, in the view of its allies, could leave the country vulnerable to future aggression.
Zelensky’s ongoing diplomatic tour of Europe comes after days of intensive talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators over the weekend that failed to produce a deal Kyiv could agree to.
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The Ukrainian president revealed that his team could send a new proposal to the Americans as soon as Tuesday, AFP news agency reported.
On the subject of surrendering land, Zelensky said, “Russia is insisting that we give up territories, but we don’t want to cede anything.”
He continued: “We have no legal right to do so under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law. And we don’t have any moral right either.”
Zelensky has long maintained that any changes to Ukraine’s borders would need to be authorised by a public referendum.
Zelensky singled out control of the eastern Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as being among the most sensitive issues.
The original leaked version of the US-backed plan proposed that Ukraine hand over total control of the Donbas to Russia, even though Kremlin forces have been unable to capture it in full after almost four years of war.
Leaders in Kyiv and across Europe have indicated there has been progress in refining that draft in recent weeks and have praised the Trump administration for seeking to mediate an end to the fighting.
BBC/Wumi