February 06, 2025 15:26 GMT
UKRAINE: Daily Mail Reports Trump Peace Plan 'Leaked'
UKRAINE
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The Daily Mail reports that US President Donald Trump will look to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept an Easter ceasefire with Russia according to a 'leaked' plan. Daily Mail: "The unconfirmed plans[...] will include a ceasefire by April 20 that would freeze Russia's steady advance, a ban on Ukraine from joining NATO, and a demand for Kyiv to accept Russian sovereignty on annexed land."
- The leaked plan supposedly includes stipulations that Ukrainian troops leave Russia's Kursk oblast, that European (not US) troops would police a DMZ, and that the EU will be asked to contribute significantly to reconstruction cost for Ukraine.
- To start the process Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin would hold a phone call early this month, followed by a meeting in late Feb/early March. A ceasefire would be declared by 20 April. Agreement on how to end the war would be published by 9 May.
- In exchange for Ukrainian concessions, the report claims the Trump plan has the US continuing support for Ukraine's armed forces and a pathway to EU membership by 2030.
- Ukraine has denied this plan's premise, with presidential spox Andriy Yermak saying it does not 'exist in reality'.
The report comes amid a shift in organisational support for Ukraine. RFE/RL reported on 5 Feb that for the first time, the UK rather than the US will chair the 12 Feb meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will be in attendance.
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