The Ukrainian peace plan alludes to concessions, but major obstacles remain

The leaders of Ukraine have written a counter-proposition to a Trump administration plan which aroused criticism for having conceded too much to Russia. While the counter-offer sinks into some of kyiv’s previous requests, it alludes to possible concessions on issues that have long been considered intractable.

Under the plan, which was obtained by the New York Times, there would be no restriction on the size of the Ukrainian army, “a contingent of European security” supported by the United States would be deployed on Ukrainian territory to guarantee security, and frozen Russian assets would be used to repair damage to Ukraine caused during the war.

These three provisions could be non-starters for the Kremlin, but some parts of the Ukrainian plan suggest a search for common ground. There is no mention, for example, of Ukraine which fully takes up all the territories seized by Russia or an insistence on Ukraine to join NATO, two questions that President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it was not ready to negotiate.

Trump flew to Rome on Friday to attend Pope Francis funeral on Saturday; Zelensky had also planned, but his spokesman said on Friday that it would depend on the situation in Ukraine, where Russian attacks this week in the capital, kyiv and elsewhere have killed dozens and injured.

In an article on social networks after landing in Rome, Trump said that Russia and Ukraine were “very close to an agreement” and urged the two parties to come directly to “finish it”. Earlier in the day, he said he was possible that he and Mr. Zelensky could meet on the sidelines of the funeral. A senior Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if Mr. Zelensky goes to Rome, he could try to personally present Mr. Trump from Ukraine.

“In the coming days, very important meetings may take place – meetings that should bring us closer to the silence for Ukraine,” said Zelensky on Friday in remarks that were unusually optimistic about the tone of previous statements this week.