US media: Ukraine finds it difficult to accept Washington's proposals

According to RT on April 20, US media revealed details of US proposals to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

The Washington Post (WP) said that it will be difficult for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to Washington's proposal to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

“It would be difficult for President Zelensky to accept the terms of US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff in their current form. But the deciding factor in rejecting such a deal may be that it does not appear to include US security guarantees. It appears that instead, Ukraine will be left to fend for itself with the help of European countries, but perhaps without US support,” the Post said.

However, the article said there is a belief in Europe that without US military aid and intelligence, Europe's contribution alone will not be enough to meet Ukraine's needs.

“European officials say that without US help, their military and intelligence support will not be enough to protect Ukraine after any peace deal. Europe lacks the numbers and modern weapons. It does not have the command and control systems needed to monitor the ceasefire and coordinate responses to future Russian actions,” WP noted.

According to WP, for Europe, “the most important issue is intelligence”.

“Last month, Kiev managed to survive a six-day pause in US intelligence aid. The consequences, according to Ukrainian officials, were catastrophic. Without US satellite intelligence, Ukraine would not have been able to detect Russian missile launches and drone attacks. Europe has no worthy alternative,” the Post said.

The US presented a plan to monitor the ceasefire in Ukraine at a meeting on a solution for Ukraine in Paris, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Western officials.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that proposals to resolve the conflict in Ukraine include easing sanctions on Russia and refusing to discuss Kiev's NATO membership. "Such a proposal would essentially freeze the front line, and most of Ukraine's territory currently controlled by Russia would remain under Moscow's control. Kiev's desire to join NATO would also be taken off the agenda," Bloomberg said.

In addition, the US administration may be ready to recognize Crimea as Russian territory within the framework of a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev.

Bloomberg pointed out that this move demonstrates US President Donald Trump's desire to achieve a ceasefire and resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

“Such a move would benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long sought international recognition of Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea,” Bloomberg noted.

However, a final decision has yet to be made - discussions on the plan will continue next week in London.

The US president's initiatives "will need to be more closely coordinated" in Europe and with Ukraine, "which may not agree to the concessions Mr. Trump proposes," Bloomberg wrote.

According to Axios, Washington is threatening to withdraw from the negotiation process to resolve the conflict in Ukraine in order to put pressure on Kiev. At the same time, the New York Times (NYT) noted that the Trump administration is strengthening the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, "hinting at withdrawing from the negotiations on Ukraine".

For Mr. Trump, the priority is the ability to deal directly with Russia, to separate from Ukraine and to do business and other deals with Russia, said Fiona Hill, author of a biography of Putin who oversaw Russia-Europe orientation at the National Security Council during Mr. Trump’s first term.

The NYT, citing “Ukraine advocates in the US Congress,” said there is currently “almost no serious discussion” at the White House about the next arms package for Ukraine.