Addressing the US Congress on Tuesday night time, President Donald Trump introduced that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy had written to him, indicating he was ready for peace negotiations with Russia to finish their conflict.
In a submit on social media, Zelenskyy concurred with Trump and laid out the contours of a peace plan. This got here days after a bust-up between the 2 leaders within the Oval Workplace, the place Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of being a warmonger unwilling to work in the direction of a ceasefire with Russia, and claimed that he was not grateful sufficient for all the help that the US has offered to Ukraine throughout the conflict.
So what’s the most recent alternate between Trump and Zelenskyy about, what’s Ukraine’s new peace plan, the place does Europe stand on it – and will it work?
What did Trump and Zelenskyy say?
Trump stated on Tuesday that he obtained a letter from Zelenskyy wherein the Ukrainian president expressed readiness to method the negotiating desk for peace.
“Ukraine is able to come to the negotiating desk as quickly as potential to deliver lasting peace nearer. No person needs peace greater than the Ukrainians,” Trump stated in an tackle to Congress, referencing Zelenskyy’s letter.
Trump added that he had additionally heard from Russia and “obtained sturdy alerts” that it was prepared for peace.
“It’s time to cease this insanity. It’s time to halt the killing. It’s time to finish this mindless conflict. If you wish to finish wars it’s important to discuss to either side,” Trump stated. He didn’t go into particular element about how he plans to finish the conflict that has been grinding on since February 2022.
Additionally on Tuesday, Zelenskyy wrote an X submit echoing what he wrote in his letter to Trump. “I want to reiterate Ukraine’s dedication to peace,” the Ukrainian president began his submit.
“Zelenskyy has tried to talk the language of Trump-world by grovelling on the courtroom of the king, as a substitute of insisting on the reality-based engagement which had enraged Trump and Vance throughout the assembly,” Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow on the London-based Chatham Home suppose tank, instructed Al Jazeera.
What’s Zelenskyy’s new peace plan?
In his X submit, Zelenskyy briefly described his proposal for peace.
He wrote that “the primary levels may very well be the discharge of prisoners and truce within the sky – ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on vitality and different civilian infrastructure – and truce within the sea instantly, if Russia will do the identical.”
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine would “wish to transfer very quick by way of all subsequent levels and to work with the US to agree a powerful ultimate deal”.
The place does Europe stand on this proposal?
Previous to the Ukraine security summit in London hosted on March 2 by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron instructed Le Figaro newspaper a few step-by-step peace proposal that is similar to what Zelenskyy has now pitched.
Marcon stated the UK and France needed to propose a ceasefire pausing sea and air assaults in addition to assaults on vitality infrastructure for a month.
Starmer and Macron, alongside different European leaders, have additionally expressed a willingness to ship troops to Ukraine as peacekeeping forces if a peace deal is reached with Russia.
However Russia has opposed European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine. “Russia’s total conflict goals is not going to have modified,” Giles stated. “So any drive in Ukraine supposed to protect peace is an impediment to them, and we are able to anticipate Russia to oppose it with all the dire threats that it could possibly muster.”
To this point, Trump and his workforce look like supportive of a US peacekeeping operation in Ukraine as soon as a take care of Russia is struck. But when Russia stays firmly against it, “primarily based on previous efficiency, we are able to anticipate the Trump administration to again Moscow‘s calls for”, Giles stated.
I want to reiterate Ukraine’s dedication to peace.
None of us needs an infinite conflict. Ukraine is able to come to the negotiating desk as quickly as potential to deliver lasting peace nearer. No person needs peace greater than Ukrainians. My workforce and I stand able to work underneath…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 4, 2025
What’s the backdrop of the brand new proposal?
A day earlier than Zelenskyy’s letter, Trump announced a pause on Washington’s navy help to Kyiv, a number of media shops reported, quoting unnamed US officers.
This was after mounting tensions between the 2 leaders, which got here to a head on February 28 within the Oval Workplace within the White Home. Zelenskyy met with Trump, US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump and Vance repeatedly lower Zelenskyy off, tearing into the Ukrainian chief for not being grateful sufficient to the US for its navy help to Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy set about making an attempt to alter that narrative.
“We do actually worth how a lot America has carried out to assist Ukraine keep its sovereignty and independence,” the Ukrainian chief wrote in his six-paragraph X submit, which was peppered with gratitude to Washington. “We bear in mind the second when issues modified when President Trump offered Ukraine with Javelins. We’re grateful for this.”
Zelenskyy additionally wrote that his White Home assembly “didn’t go the way in which it was purported to be. It’s regrettable that it occurred this manner. It’s time to make issues proper.”
In his submit, Zelenskyy didn’t point out the pause on US military aid to Ukraine.
A month into his new time period, Trump has shifted US coverage in the direction of the Ukraine conflict and has grow to be extra open to negotiating with Moscow. Final month, officers from the US and Russia met for peace negotiations in Saudi Arabia. This left Ukraine and Europe displeased, as they were not invited to those talks.
What in regards to the minerals deal?
Based mostly on what the 2 leaders are saying, a minerals deal that Zelenskyy was anticipated to signal throughout his Friday go to to Washington – however that received stalled after the Ukrainian chief left early following the conflict with Trump – would possibly now be again on monitor.
The deal will permit Washington to put money into Kyiv’s mineral resources, together with rare earth minerals. Trump has pushed for this, and he instructed reporters final month that he needed “equalisation” for the help the US has despatched to Ukraine.
Trump stated throughout his tackle to Congress that Ukraine is able to signal the minerals deal.
In his X submit, Zelenskyy wrote: “Concerning the settlement on minerals and safety, Ukraine is able to signal it in any time and in any handy format. We see this settlement as a step towards better safety and stable safety ensures, and I really hope it can work successfully.”
Whereas making clear that the US is not going to ship any peacekeepers to Ukraine as a part of a ceasefire with Russia, Trump and his administration have argued that the minerals deal would function a safety assure for Kyiv. The argument: As soon as Russia is aware of that the US is closely invested economically in Ukraine, it might know that attacking its neighbour would draw sturdy American retribution.
Will the US and Russia settle for this peace deal?
With specifics of the peace deal nonetheless unsure, it is likely to be too early to inform, specialists say.
“Russia has the posh of sitting again and ready to see if Europe can get its act collectively or not, since there’s nothing concrete but,” Giles stated, including this places Moscow in a “very comfy place”.
He added it’s also unclear “what the US will settle for, as a result of the incentives for Trump are very completely different from the incentives for Ukraine and Europe”. He defined that this relies on the extent to which Trump may be motivated by the minerals deal.
“We see logical gaps in so lots of the proposals that we now have heard at this time – the suggestion from Keir Starmer that nothing is possible with out US backing runs into the quicksand if the US has said so clearly that it doesn’t want to give this backing.”
