US and Russian calls for to provide Moscow swathes of Ukrainian territory are “essentially the most troublesome” a part of peace talks, President Zelensky revealed yesterday.
He was talking after marathon conferences with France’s President Macron, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US envoy Steve Witkoff – who is because of meet Putin in Moscow at the moment.
Zelensky mentioned: “The query of land and territory might be essentially the most troublesome.”
It cames as footage of bomb-blitzed Kostyantynivka confirmed civilian houses destroyed by Russia.
Russia seized twice as a lot land in November in comparison with October, in keeping with Ukrainain warfare trakcers.
But the US based mostly Study of War Institute insisted: “Russian battlefield victory is neither imminent nor inevitable.”
Macron predicted Russia would battle to bankroll its Ukraine slaughter as a result of a crack down on its shadow fleet tankers that evade western sanctions.
He mentioned: “We know that 40 per cent of the warfare effort in Russia is financed via the shadow fleet.
“In the weeks to return the stress on the Russian economic system and the capability of Russia to finance the warfare effort will drastically change.”
A Russian drafted peace deal which the US delivered to Kyiv final month had demanded Ukraine give up land that Russia has been unable to seize by pressure.
It additionally gave Russia occuppied Crimea and the elements of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia presently underneath Russian management.
Zelensky mentioned yesterday {that a} new plan “appears to be like higher” after two weeks of frantic talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators in Geneva and later in Florida.
But Zelensky additionally hinted on the rift between his “European associates” and what he referred to as “the American facet in Florida”.
Zelensky hailed talks with Britain, France and eight EU allies as “very productive”.
He described a cellphone name with Witkoff yesterday as an “essential briefing”.
Witkoff, an actual property baron, met Putin’s envoy Kirrill Dimitriev in Florida earlier than assembly Ukrianian officers.
Witkoff, who was caught teaching a Russian official on easy methods to play President Trump, is because of meet Putin in Moscow with Donald Trump’s son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner at the moment.
Their assembly follows bombshell claims that Trump’s enterprise allies are already in talks with Russia to purchase minimize billion greenback offers within the occasion of a peace deal.
The Wall Street Journal reported {that a} Trump marketing campaign donor Gentry Beach was in talks to purchase a part of a Russian Arctic fuel undertaking.
Another Trump donor, Stephen Lynch, reportedly paid $600,000 in a bid to safe a US Treasury license to purchase the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia.
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk mentioned of US peace efforts: “We know this isn’t about peace. It’s about enterprise.”
