On April 17, US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff presented a proposal to end the Russian-Ukrainian war to European officials in Paris, which includes the recognition of Russia’s control over several Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.
Reuters published the full text of the proposal.
The United States has presented European officials with a draft agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The document contains clear conditions that are Washington’s “final proposal” to both sides. Note that the American side provided this list to its partners “verbally” rather than in the form of an official document. Nevertheless, the parties are using the list of US proposals set out on paper.
The text mentions the difference between the “de jure” recognition of Russian control over Crimea by the United States and the “de facto” recognition of control over the Luhansk region (referred to in the document as “Luhansk”) and parts of the Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson regions occupied by Russia. The US does not specify the meaning of these terms.
Ukraine, according to their plan, regains control over the occupied parts of the Kharkiv region, as well as over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the Kakhovka dam—the latter detail has not yet been mentioned in media accounts of the US proposal.
In addition, Ukraine regains control over the Kinburn Spit and unimpeded navigation on the Dnipro River.
Truce:
- Permanent ceasefire;
- Both sides immediately start negotiations on the technical side of the ceasefire.
Security guarantees for Ukraine:
- Ukraine receives robust security guarantees (the text does not specify what kind of guarantees the US side is referring to);
- The guarantors are a group of European states and non-European states that wish to do so;
- Ukraine will not seek to join NATO;
- Ukraine may pursue EU membership.
Territory:
- The US de jure recognizes Russia’s control over Crimea;
- The US de facto recognizes Russia’s control over the Luhansk region;
- The US de facto recognizes Russia’s control over parts of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson regions;
- Ukraine regains control over territories of Kharkiv region;
- Ukraine regains control over Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, transferring ownership and administration of the plant to the US, with electricity supplies to both sides, as well as over the Kakhovka Dam;
- Ukraine gains unimpeded passage along the Dnipro River and control over the Kinburn Spit.
Economy:
- The US and Ukraine implement an economic cooperation/mining agreement;
- Ukraine will be fully rebuilt and receive financial compensation;
- Sanctions against Russia imposed as a result of the conflict since 2014 will be lifted (it does not specify who should lift the sanctions, but since the US announced this proposal in talks with EU states and Ukrainian officials, it might expect such steps from the EU and Ukraine as well);
- US-Russian economic cooperation in energy and other industries is being restored.
Earlier, the media reported that the Trump administration handed over a one-page document to Ukraine in Paris, which was presented as a “final proposal” for a peaceful settlement. Among other things, the US is ready to recognize Russia’s control over Ukrainian Crimea and ease sanctions against Moscow.
On April 24, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the United States had proposed its strategy for Ukraine’s territories during talks in London, but, according to him, “another paper appeared after the US proposal.”
The Telegraph has published details of a new negotiation document on ending the war—Ukraine hopes to deprive Russia of official international recognition of its sovereignty over Crimea and other occupied territories as part of peace negotiations.
