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Trump has expressed frustration with Zelensky and claimed Putin is ‘fine’ with his peace plan
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Ukraine will present a revised peace plan to the Trump administration on Tuesday, as Volodymyr Zelensky pushes back against US demands to cede territory to Russia.
The Ukrainian president insisted he had “no right” to surrender land under Ukrainian or international law following a busy day of diplomacy, which included meetings with European leaders in Downing Street and Brussels.
His comments underline the growing rift between Washington and Kyiv over the issue of territory as Trump continues to pile pressure on Ukraine to accept a US-drafted peace deal.
The question of what to do with the eastern Donbas region has remained a sticking point in talks. Kyiv’s allies insist that Ukraine must not give up land as part of a deal as it would reward Putin’s aggression.
But the Trump administration has signalled that Kyiv will need to cede land it currently controls to secure a deal – a move Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out.
On Monday, Trump made his impatience with Zelensky clear, saying he “isn’t ready” for peace and claiming the Ukrainian leader had not read his peace deal.
Ukraine is preparing to present an alternative peace plan to Donald Trump and could do so as soon as today, Volodymyr Zelensky told a news conference yesterday.
An initial 28-point plan proposed by the US, widely viewed as being too favourable to Russia, has since been cut down to 20 points following talks between Ukrainian and US officials.
But sticking points still remain, most notably over the matter of occupied territories in eastern Ukraine and security guarantees to prevent another Russian invasion in future.
The original leaked version of the US-backed plan proposed that Ukraine hand over total control of the Donbas to Russia, even though Kremlin forces have not yet captured it in full.
According to the draft plan, energy produced at Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, would be split between the two countries.
Zelensky said yesterday that his government has no right to agree to forfeit its land. “Russia is insisting that we give up territories, but we don’t want to cede anything,” he said.
“We have no legal right to do so, under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law. And we don’t have any moral right either.”
A Russian military transport plane has crashed in the Ivanovo region northeast of Moscow with seven crew members on board, according to the Vesti state television channel who reported the news on Tuesday.
A deal to release up to £100 billion of frozen Russian assets in Europe to aid Ukraine is just days away, Downing Street believes, after Sir Keir Starmer and allies held crunch talks in London yesterday.
The prime minister said talks about the future of Ukraine have reached a “critical stage”, while European leaders agreed that pressure on Vladimir Putin must be ramped up.
Sir Keir met with French president Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and German chancellor Friedrich Merz at No 10 Downing Street on Monday as Mr Zelensky warned that Kyiv “can’t manage” without European and American backing.
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Hundreds of Porsche cars have stopped working in Russia due to an issue with a satellite-based security system, according to local reports.
Owners reported various issues with their vehicles, including not being able to start the engine, or it shutting down soon after ignition. Others said that they had been locked out of their cars.
The root cause of the issue is not yet known, though a representative for Russia’s largest dealership group told local media that it could be an act of sabotage.
“It’s possible this was done deliberately,” the Rolf spokesperson told the RBC news website, without providing any evidence.
The meeting at Downing Street between Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of his country’s principal allies in Europe is designed to demonstrate, both to Mr Zelensky and the wider world, that the Ukrainian people are not alone in their struggle for freedom. Specifically, it is a reminder to the Americans and the Russians that there can be no lasting peace settlement without the freely given consent of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky kicked off the week with a full on day of diplomacy, visiting both London and Brussels as he met with leaders of the UK, France, Germany, the EU and Nato.
Top of the agenda was ongoing efforts to revise a US-backed peace plan, and the use of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s war effort.
Here are some pictures from yesterday:
Volodymyr Zelensky hailed his “good and productive” meeting held with Nato and EU chiefs on Monday night, which he said demonstrated unity in all their positions.
“We discussed in detail our work with US partners on steps toward peace, security guarantees, and strengthening our resilience,” the Ukrainian president said after the meeting, which followed another meeting with European leaders in London.
“Our positions have been aligned on all issues. We are acting in a coordinated and constructive manner. Thank you for the meeting and for your support!”
Ukraine will present a revised peace plan to the Trump administration on Tuesday, as Volodymyr Zelensky looks to resist US pressure into ceding territory to Russia.
For weeks, Kyiv has been aiming to balance out a US-backed draft peace plan which was viewed widely in Europe as a capitulation to Moscow.
A busy start to the diplomatic week saw the Ukrainian president head to London on Monday, where he met Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, before heading to Brussels in the evening to meet Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council chief Antonia Costa.
After talks between the US and Ukraine over the weekend, a revised 20-point plan was proposed – but there was still no agreement on giving up territory, Zelensky said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry has claimed that air defences downed 121 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 22 fired at occupied Crimea.
Moscow does not typically reveal the full number of enemy drones in its skies overnight, so the figure is likely higher.
A total of 49 drones were downed in the Belgorod region, it said. Smaller amounts were downed in other areas including the Ryazan, Voronezh, Rostov regions, the defence ministry said according to Ukrainska Pravda.
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