Axios: US is pressuring Zelenskyy to make territorial concessions within "peace plan"

US digital news outlet Axios has reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is facing increasing pressure from the United States, which is urging him to agree to significant territorial and other concessions under US President Donald Trump's proposed "peace plan".

Source: Axios, citing sources

Details: The outlet reports that after weeks of intensive diplomatic negotiations, Ukrainian officials still believe that some aspects of the current US plan favour Moscow and that Washington is exerting significantly more pressure on Zelenskyy than on Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Axios added that a US official has rejected this claim, insisting that the US had also pressed Putin to soften his demands.

A Ukrainian official told Axios that Kyiv believes the US proposal worsened after Trump negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a five-hour meeting with Putin at the Kremlin last week.

The official said Witkoff and Kushner appeared to want a clear "yes" from Zelenskyy when they discussed the plan with him during a two-hour phone call on Saturday.

"It felt like the US was trying to sell us in different ways the Russian desire to take the whole of Donbas and that the Americans wanted Zelenskyy to accept all of it in the phone call," the Ukrainian official said.

Zelenskyy said during that call that he had received the US proposal only an hour earlier and had not yet reviewed it, according to both US and Ukrainian officials.

A US official said this was surprising, noting that Washington had handed over an updated proposal the day before. A Ukrainian official noted that while some documents had indeed been provided earlier, others were received shortly before the call.

The Ukrainian official also said the latest US proposal included harsher conditions than previous drafts on issues such as territory and control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and did not address key questions regarding security guarantees.

Nevertheless, according to the official, the US side appeared to expect Zelenskyy to simply accept the terms over the phone.

A US official, Axios reports, insisted that the current draft had been heavily influenced by Ukrainian proposals and that Kushner and Witkoff had pressed Putin to agree to several of Ukraine's demands.

Quote from Axios: "But the whole episode reflects the simmering distrust between the Zelenskyy and Trump administrations, despite the many hours their teams have spent negotiating."

More details: The outlet notes that on Monday 8 December, Zelenskyy met in London with the leaders of the UK, France and Germany to discuss a shared position on Trump's plan.

According to Axios, US and Ukrainian officials say the Trump administration viewed Zelenskyy's Downing Street meeting as a futile attempt to buy time in the negotiations over the "peace plan".

Axios reported that Ukrainian officials believe the US is trying to pull Zelenskyy away from European leaders in order to exert more effective pressure on him.

"Zelenskyy can't make such dramatic decisions without consulting his key allies in Europe," a Ukrainian official said.

The official added that while the Trump administration is pressing Zelenskyy to act quickly, European leaders are advising him to be cautious and patient.

This dynamic, Axios reports, has angered some in the White House, who view European leaders as "the main obstacle" to reaching a deal.

The outlet adds that Ukraine and European countries are also discussing security guarantees. A European official said it remains unclear what role the US is prepared to play in providing such guarantees and what it expects from European allies.

Two Ukrainian officials said that the latest US proposal on security guarantees is based on a broader framework than the initial draft but still does not include a treaty ratified by the Senate.

Previously:

• AFP, citing a Ukrainian official, reported earlier that the US is exerting significant pressure on Ukraine to accept a deal intended to end Russia's war.
• Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine is not considering handing over any of its territory, as this is prohibited by national law, international law and moral principles.

Background:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in an interview on Monday 8 December that participants in the negotiations on Trump's proposed "peace plan" still cannot reach agreement on territorial issues, including the future of Donetsk Oblast.
• Politico, citing European officials, reports that during discussions on a possible agreement to end the Russo–Ukrainian war, the US is continuing to promote the idea that Ukraine should agree to give up the territory of Donetsk without a fight.
• Earlier, US President Donald Trump claimed that Russia was "fine with" the "peace plan", while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had not even read it.
• Rustem Umierov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said he had been briefed in the US about the American delegation's meeting with Russian officials in Moscow and intended to report on all aspects of their dialogue to Zelenskyy, as well as hand over the relevant documents.

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