What’s Ukraine’s new peace plan that Zelenskyy offered to Trump? | Russia-Ukraine warfare Information

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 prepared for peace negotiations with Russia to finish their warfare.

In a publish 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 supplied to Ukraine through the warfare.

So what’s the newest change between Trump and Zelenskyy about? What’s Ukraine’s new peace plan? The place does Europe stand on it – and will it work?

What have Trump and Zelenskyy mentioned?

Trump mentioned on Tuesday that he obtained a letter from Zelenskyy wherein the Ukrainian president expressed readiness to strategy the negotiating desk for peace.

“Ukraine is able to come to the negotiating desk as quickly as doable to carry lasting peace nearer. No person needs peace greater than the Ukrainians,” Trump mentioned 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 warfare. If you wish to finish wars, you must discuss to each side,” Trump mentioned. He didn’t specify how he plans to finish the warfare that has been grinding on since February 2022.

Additionally on Tuesday, Zelenskyy wrote an X publish echoing what he wrote in his letter to Trump. “I want to reiterate Ukraine’s dedication to peace,” he began his publish.

“Zelenskyy has tried to talk the language of Trump-world by grovelling on the court docket of the king, as an alternative of insisting on the reality-based engagement which had enraged Trump and Vance through the assembly,” Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow on the London-based Chatham Home assume tank, advised Al Jazeera.

What’s Zelenskyy’s new peace plan?

In his X publish, Zelenskyy briefly described his peace proposal.

He wrote that “the primary phases might 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”.

He added that Ukraine would “wish to transfer very quick by way of all subsequent phases and to work with the US to agree a robust closing deal”.

Zelenskyy’s current transfer “is particular and a good way to see if Russia severely needs a negotiated settlement which will final and permit Ukraine to exist as an impartial state”, Mikhail Alexseev, a professor of political science at San Diego State College, advised Al Jazeera.

I want to reiterate Ukraine’s dedication to peace.

None of us needs an limitless warfare. Ukraine is able to come to the negotiating desk as quickly as doable to carry lasting peace nearer. No person needs peace greater than Ukrainians. My group and I stand able to work beneath…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 4, 2025

The place does Europe stand on this proposal?

Earlier than the Ukraine safety summit in London, hosted on March 2 by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron advised Le Figaro newspaper a couple of step-by-step peace proposal that is analogous to what Zelenskyy has now pitched.

Macron mentioned the UK and France needed to suggest 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.

Nonetheless, Russia has opposed European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine. “Russia’s general warfare goals won’t have modified,” Giles mentioned. “So any drive in Ukraine meant to protect peace is an impediment to them, and we are able to count on Russia to oppose it with all the dire threats that it will probably muster.”

Thus far, Trump and his group 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, “based mostly on previous efficiency, we are able to count on the Trump administration to again Moscow‘s calls for”, Giles mentioned.

What’s the backdrop of the brand new proposal?

A day earlier than Zelenskyy’s letter, Trump introduced a pause on Washington’s navy help to Kyiv, a number of media retailers 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 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 attempting to vary 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 publish, which was peppered with gratitude to Washington. “We bear in mind the second when issues modified when President Trump supplied Ukraine with Javelins. We’re grateful for this.”

Zelenskyy additionally wrote that his White Home assembly “didn’t go the best way it was purported to be. It’s regrettable that it occurred this manner. It’s time to make issues proper.”

In his publish, Zelenskyy didn’t point out the pause on US navy help to Ukraine.

A month into his new time period, Trump has shifted US coverage in the direction of the Ukraine warfare and has develop into 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 weren’t invited to the talks.

What in regards to the uncommon minerals deal?

Primarily based on what the 2 leaders are saying, a uncommon earth minerals deal that Zelenskyy was anticipated to signal throughout his Friday go to to Washington, DC – however that received stalled after the Ukrainian chief left early following the conflict with Trump – may now be again on monitor.

The deal will permit Washington to spend money on Kyiv’s mineral assets, together with uncommon earth minerals. Trump has pushed for this, and he advised reporters final month that he needed “equalisation” for the help the US has despatched to Ukraine.

Trump mentioned throughout his tackle to Congress that Ukraine is able to signal the minerals deal.

In his X publish, 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 strong safety ensures, and I really hope it can work successfully.”

Whereas making clear that the US won’t 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 will know that attacking its neighbour would draw sturdy US retribution.

Will 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 luxurious of sitting again and ready to see if Europe can get its act collectively or not since there’s nothing concrete but,” Giles mentioned, including this places Moscow in a “very snug place”.

However some specialists consider that Zelenskyy’s proposal may work towards Russia.

“I don’t assume it’s deal for Russia. Russia has extra long-range capabilities than Ukraine and is placing important infrastructure greater than Ukraine. The moratorium would drawback Russia,” Marina Miron, a post-doctoral researcher on the Defence Research Division at King’s School London, advised Al Jazeera. “I don’t assume Russia could be eager on signing it. I don’t assume Russia has belief for Europeans.”

Alexseev, the San Diego State College professor, agreed.

“I don’t see them [Russia] accepting any peace proposal now wanting Ukraine’s give up and abrogating its sovereignty,” he mentioned. “The US might want to severely threaten Russians to vary that and settle for Ukraine’s proper to sovereignty and discuss some compromise, however Washington is doing the alternative, displaying readiness to accommodate key Russian calls for.”

Will the US settle for this peace deal?

Giles added it’s also unclear “what the US will settle for, as a result of the incentives for Trump are very totally different from the incentives for Ukraine and Europe”. He defined that this relies on the extent to which Trump could be motivated by the minerals deal.

“We see logical gaps in so lots of the proposals that we’ve heard immediately – the suggestion from Keir Starmer that nothing is possible with out US backing runs into the quicksand if the US has acknowledged so clearly that it doesn’t want to give this backing.”

For Alexseev, “the large query is whether or not Trump restarts cargo of navy help and sharing intelligence with Ukraine if [the] US and Ukraine signal the minerals deal.”

But, he mentioned, “any critical negotiated resolution” would want Trump to “not solely to renew this help however to extend it”.

Miron mentioned even when the US indicators the minerals deal, it’s unclear whether or not Zelenskyy might be signing it on Ukraine’s behalf, or somebody from the Ukrainian parliament.

“The US needs to speak to Ukraine, not particularly Zelenskyy,” she mentioned. Trump has not too long ago slammed Zelenskyy for not holding elections for the reason that starting of the warfare. On February 19, he deemed the Ukrainian chief “a dictator with out elections” in a Reality Social publish. Miron mentioned after a deal is signed, the White Home may push for elections in Ukraine.

If that’s the US plan, a parliamentarian signing the minerals settlement on Ukraine’s behalf as an alternative of Zelenskyy may make extra sense, in order that Kyiv just isn’t ready to make use of authorized loopholes to dismiss the deal sooner or later, Miron mentioned, at a time when belief between the US and Ukraine is low.