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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said negotiators discussing a U.S.-brokered peace initiative remain divided over territory, as U.S. President Donald Trump expressed disappointment in Kyiv's handling of the deal.
Zelenskyy said elements of the U.S. plan require further discussion on several "sensitive issues," including security guarantees for the war-ravaged nation and control over eastern regions. The Ukrainian leader said talks have yet to reach an agreement on Ukraine's Donbas, including the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk.
"There are visions of the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine, and we don't have a unified view on Donbas," Zelenskyy told Bloomberg on early Monday. He said Kyiv is pushing for a separate agreement on security guarantees from Western allies, above all the U.S.
Zelenskyy stressed the critical importance of Western security commitments, noting, "There is one question I, and all Ukrainians, want to get an answer to: if Russia again starts the war, what will our partners do?"
Zelenskyy was en route to London, where he was due to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday to discuss the U.S. proposal.
Trump criticized Zelenskyy, saying he was "a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn't yet read the proposal."
"We've been speaking to President Putin, and we've been speaking to Ukrainian leaders, including Zelenskyy," Trump told reporters as he arrived at the Kennedy Center.
"Russia is 'fine' with the proposal, but I'm not sure that Zelenskyy is fine with it. His people love it, but he hasn't read it," Trump said.
Trump said Russia is "fine" with the proposal but added, "I'm not sure that Zelenskyy is fine with it. His people love it, but he hasn't read it."
Later, Trump reiterated his criticism, telling reporters, "I have to say that I'm a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn't yet read the proposal; that was as of a few hours ago."
Zelenskyy's negotiators held a series of meetings with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami over the past few days to revise a draft U.S. plan.
Zelenskyy said he had participated in a "very substantive and constructive" call with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during the Miami negotiations.
"Ukraine is committed to continuing to work honestly with the American side to bring about real peace," Zelenskyy said on Telegram, adding that the parties agreed "on the next steps and the format of the talks with America."
The Ukrainian president said he had a phone call with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law and informal adviser Jared Kushner, along with senior Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov, following talks to discuss Washington's proposed peace plan to end the war.
"Zelenskyy said they discussed 'many aspects' and 'key points' that could ensure an end to the over three-and-a-half-year Ukraine war, and he is now awaiting a 'detailed in-person report' from Umerov and Hnatov," according to reports.
An official familiar with the negotiations told media organizations Monday that territory was still the "most problematic" in discussions on ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
"The issue of territory is still the 'most problematic' in discussions on ending the Russia-Ukraine war," the official who spoke to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday said.
"Putin does not want to agree without territory. So they are looking for any options to ensure that Ukraine cedes territory," the source said on condition of anonymity.
Zelenskyy has "consistently ruled out any concessions, arguing that they were tantamount to Kyiv's capitulation."
Russia wants Ukraine to retreat from around one-fifth of the eastern Donetsk region, which Moscow has not yet captured, but where its troops are advancing at their fastest pace in a year.
The source who spoke also said that the United States was urging a quick settlement, noting, "The Americans are pressuring, like 'faster, faster, faster,'" the source added, saying that Ukraine "cannot agree to everything without working out the details."
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