Washington: US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll was “very optimistic” after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv to discuss a new US peace plan, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Leavitt said, on Thursday, at a briefing that US President Donald Trump supports the emerging plan, Xinhua news agency reported.
“It’s a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine, and we believe that it should be acceptable to both sides. And we’re working very hard to get it done,” she said.
She said US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and State Secretary Marco Rubio have spent the past month quietly drafting the framework and “engaging with both sides, Russia and Ukraine equally, to understand what these countries would commit to in order to see a lasting and durable peace.”
Zelensky’s office said in a statement Thursday that the Ukrainian president would speak with Trump in the coming days to discuss “diplomatic opportunities and the key points required to achieve peace,” according to reports.
US media reports say the current draft plan contains 28 points, including major territorial concessions by Ukraine and sharp reductions in its armed forces, as well as limits on access to long-range weapon types. The plan may also rule out the deployment of European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine after a ceasefire.
The disclosures have drawn sharp reactions in Europe, where officials fear being sidelined in the negotiating process and view aspects of the draft as favoring Russia.
It was reported that EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stressed Thursday that any viable peace plan requires the support of Ukraine and Europe.
Russia-Ukraine talks have stalled since the Trump-Putin meeting in August in the US state of Alaska.
(IANS)
