Washington [US], December 27: US President Donald Trump declared that he would play a decisive role in any peace agreement related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Politico reported on December 27th that President Trump emphasized the central role of the United States in the negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine, as he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are scheduled to hold talks in the US on December 28th.
"He still has nothing until I agree. So we'll see what he brings," Trump said, showing caution toward the latest peace proposal from Ukraine.
The White House occupant still believes that the two sides will have productive negotiations by the end of the week. Earlier, the US negotiating delegation had a meeting with Mr. Zelensky. The Ukrainian president said that the parties had had a "good dialogue".
Earlier this week, President Zelensky unveiled a new 20-point draft proposal from Ukraine, which includes changes from the initial 28-point proposal from the United States.
The Kremlin said on December 26 that foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov had spoken by phone with US officials. Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov criticized Zelensky's stance.
Speaking on Russian television, Ryabkov accused Kyiv and its European allies of taking steps to undermine the peace agreement. The Russian diplomat said Ukraine's proposal was "completely different" from the draft that the US and Russia exchanged in early December.
He said that any agreement would have to "stay within the limits" that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had set when the two leaders met in August, otherwise "there will be no agreement."
President Zelensky said the territorial issue could only be resolved through a parliamentary vote or referendum, while Moscow repeatedly asserted it would not compromise on the territorial issue in the Donbass region (comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces in Ukraine).
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
