US President Donald Trump may abandon efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine if he decides that a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev is impossible, US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Fox News.
“If President Trump decides that a deal is impossible, he will back down, which, as you know, is in his nature”, he said.
At the same time, the permanent representative expressed the opinion that peace in Ukraine is closer than ever.
According to Whitaker, Trump understands how to put pressure on both sides - Moscow and Kiev - to reach an agreement. The Permanent Representative noted that reaching an agreement requires the participation of both Russia and Ukraine.
Zelensky announced on the evening of December 8 that Ukraine is working with Europe to prepare its own version of the peace plan. Kiev intends to present to the United States a new version of the peace plan, consisting of 20 points, from which proposals that it finds unacceptable have been removed. Zelensky identified the issue of territories as one of the most difficult issues. He said that a compromise on this issue “has not yet been found” and Ukraine has neither the constitutional, nor the international, nor the moral right to cede its territories.
“Trump has his own vision, which differs from that of Ukraine“, Zelensky stressed.
The Trump administration is pressuring Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to the terms of the proposed plan to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, Axios reported on Monday, citing its own sources.
“Ukrainian officials said they believe the United States is trying to distance Zelensky from European leaders so they can exert more effective pressure on him“, the article notes. "Zelensky cannot make such radical decisions without consulting his key allies in Europe," the publication quoted a Ukrainian official as saying.
According to the publication's source, the Trump administration is pressuring Zelensky to act quickly, while Europeans are advising him to be cautious and patient.