- Vice President JD Vance said the United States will walk away from peace talks if Russia and Ukraine don't agree to proposed peace plan.
- The proposal would accept Russian control of Crimea, give them other occupied territories and stop Ukraine from joining NATO.
- The proposal provides a vague "robust security guarantee" for Ukraine.
Vice President JD Vance spoke early Wednesday on a peace plan the U.S. recently presented to Ukraine and Russia, saying that the U.S. would “walk away” from the peace process if both countries refused to accept the terms.
Vance spoke during a trip to India, publicly laying out the ceasefire deal that includes multiple longstanding Russian demands such as the acceptance of the annexation of Crimea by Russia.
“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process,” Vance told reporters, per The New York Times. “The only way to really stop the killing is for the armies to both put down their weapons, to freeze this thing and to get on with the business of actually building a better Russia and a better Ukraine.”
Vance’s ultimatum was seen as a way to apply pressure on Ukraine, as his comments came shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country will never accept Russia’s occupation of Crimea in 2014 as legal.
“There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said, according to The New York Times.
Vance added that, under the U.S. proposal, “We’re going to freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today.”
What does Russia get in the proposed deal?
According to CNN, one of the biggest things Russia would receive as part of this deal is U.S. recognition of Russian control of Crimea.
Russia will also be given control of other areas such as almost all of Luhansk oblast and the occupied portions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, per Axios.
The deal also promises that Ukraine will not become a part of NATO, but Ukraine could become a part of the European Union.
It also includes lifting sanctions on Russia that have been imposed since 2014, per Axios. The U.S. will also enhance its economic cooperation with Russia, especially in the energy and industrial sectors.
What does Ukraine get in the proposed deal?
The deal would provide a “robust security guarantee” for Ukraine involving a group of European countries and possibly like-minded non-European countries, according to Axios. The proposal is vague in how this peacekeeping operation would function and does not include any mention of U.S. participation.
Ukraine would also receive a small part of Kharkiv oblast that Russia has occupied.
The country would also be allowed unimpeded passage on the Dnieper River which runs along the front line of the war in parts of southern Ukraine.
According to Axios, the proposal also mentions Ukraine receiving compensation and assistance for rebuilding, but does not say where the funding would come from.
Secretary of State Rubio pulls out of talks in London
A major meeting including leaders of multiple countries was scheduled to take place on Wednesday in London, focusing on bringing an end to the war in Ukraine, per CNN.
But ahead of the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would not be attending, and shortly after, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy also pulled out of the talks.
The meeting still took place, including leaders from France, Germany and Ukraine, per BBC. Those still meeting were expected to discuss details of the proposed plan from the U.S.
Lammy did meet with separately in London with Ukraine’s foreign minister, per The New York Times.
Later this week, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for the fourth time.