Kyiv calls for real ceasefire as US-brokered deal raises alarm over Ukraine’s sovereignty and long-term security.
Russia says it’s willing to enter direct talks with Ukraine – but only if Kyiv removes certain “obstacles”. The Kremlin hasn’t defined these, though they’re widely understood to include Ukraine’s refusal to negotiate with Vladimir Putin under a 2022 decree.
President Zelenskyy responded by reaffirming his country’s willingness to engage, but only under the condition of a genuine, complete ceasefire – something Moscow has yet to demonstrate, even during the Easter truce.
Meanwhile, concerns are mounting over a reported US-backed proposal that would freeze the frontline, recognise Crimea as Russian, and give Moscow a veto on Ukraine joining NATO. Ukrainian officials are expected to respond during high-level talks in London this week.
Official Peace Talks Stall
David Lammy had been expecting to host a fresh round of Ukraine peace talks in London today, bringing together the US, Ukraine and Europe and so maintain relationships between traditional allies even as direct US-Russia talks to end the Ukraine war continue.
But the British minister has been embarrassed by US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s sudden decision late on Tuesday not to turn up and a rising chorus of leaks apparently from the US and Russia designed to derail the discussions and to promote the idea that the most significant discussions are those taking place directly between Washington and Moscow.
The Proposal
Initial indications are that Russia is willing to trade territory it does not control in Ukraine – in effect fresh air – for a US recognition of its 2014 seizure of Crimea, in other words a formal acknowledgement that it is possible to change borders by force, in effect creating an extraordinary precedent.
Critics argue this would legitimise the illegal annexations of 2022 and set a dangerous precedent for international conflict resolution: that borders can still be redrawn by force, and the world will call it peace.
Sources: The Guardian and BBC
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