The proposed framework – backed by Trump’s envoy General Keith Kellogg – would see Ukraine hand over sweeping concessions, including Crimea and large parts of the occupied territories of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia.
In return, Ukraine would gain access to the Dnipro River and retain a northern slice of Kherson. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant would be placed under U.S. administration.
But for Zelensky, the plan was dead on arrival, and the Ukrainian president dismissed the seven-point US-brokered proposal with just four words: “This violates our Constitution.”
The plan, described by US officials as Trump’s “final offer,” has triggered fierce opposition in Kyiv.
Beyond the land losses, the deal would block Ukraine from joining NATO and lift all U.S. sanctions on Russia. A minerals agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine was also floated as part of the package.
“There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine,” he said, per Al Jazeera.
Zelensky warned that conceding any territory would only embolden the Kremlin: “As soon as talks about Crimea and our sovereign territories begin, the talks enter the format that Russia wants — prolonging the war – because it will not be possible to agree on everything quickly. We know where these signals are sounding and will continue to sound.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has taken a more aggressive tone, suggesting that America’s patience is running out. Speaking from India, he issued a blunt ultimatum, per the Daily Express: “It’s time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process.”
The VPOTUS added: “The current lines, somewhere close to them is where you’re ultimately, I think, going to draw the new lines in the conflict.”
While Kyiv remains firmly opposed, Trump’s team is pushing ahead. If Ukraine were to agree to the plan, Trump allies confirmed that Steve Witkoff would travel to Moscow to present it to President Vladimir Putin directly.
But signs of internal friction are emerging. Top-level talks planned for London between the US, Ukraine, France, Germany, and the UK have been downgraded after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled out, choosing to travel to Moscow instead. Envoy Steve Witkoff also opted not to attend. General Kellogg now leads the American delegation.
Zelensky, however, emphasized his country’s commitment to a peaceful resolution, writing on Telegram: “Ukraine has repeatedly said that it does not exclude any of the formats that can lead to a ceasefire and further to real peace. Stopping the killings is the number one task.”
But his conditions remain clear: no territorial compromise, no forced neutrality, no erasing the pain of Russia’s invasion.
As discussions continue under the cloud of concessions and ultimatums, the French presidency has backed Ukraine’s stance, reaffirming that “any peace deal must include respect for Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.”
For now, Ukraine’s message is unflinching—and the battle over borders continues, on both the map and at the negotiating table.
