Why Russia rejected Trump’s latest proposal to “freeze” the war in Ukraine on the current front

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trump suggested to Zelensky that Ukraine would have to agree to make territorial concessions, in particular giving up most of the region of the Donbasincluding the provinces of Donetsk and Luhanskin exchange for Russia accept the freezing of the conflict.

According to the Reuters agency, what was said by trump was welcomed with disappointment by the Ukrainian representatives and by himself Zelensky. According to the sources consulted, During the “tense” meeting, Trump pressured the Ukrainian president to cede swaths of territory to Russia.

Subsequently, Trump publicly proposed a ceasefire on the current frontposition that Zelensky He later supported it in statements to the press. That would be the starting point to start peace negotiations.

Reuters maintained that trump presented this proposal during the meeting with Zelensky after he stated that he will not voluntarily cede any territory to Russia.

According to the proposal of trumpRussia and Ukraine would maintain the territory they currently control while an end to the conflict is negotiated.

On Tuesday, Zelensky and other European leaders supported the proposal trump.

“We strongly support President Trump’s position that the fighting must cease immediately and that the current line of contact must serve as a starting point for negotiations.”the leaders, including those of France, United Kingdom and Germany.

“We remain committed to the principle that international borders should not be changed by force,” they added.

They reiterated that they maintain their support so that Ukraine remain “in the strongest possible position, before, during and after any ceasefire.”

Russia’s response

Russia did not accept Trump’s proposal. This Tuesday, the chancellor Sergey Lavrov said that his country he hasn’t changed his position Regarding the conflict that began in February 2022: “Our war objectives remain unchanged“, held.

He criticized the call for an immediate armistice based on the current front line, arguing that it goes against the “understandings reached in Anchorage” (the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska) about focusing on the “root causes of conflict.”

“Now we hear from Washington that we must stop immediately and that we must not discuss anything further. Stop and let history judge”he stated.

Lavrov added that “The ceasefire will now mean only one thing: a large part of Ukraine will remain under the Nazi regime in kyiv. “That part of Ukraine will be the only place on Earth where an entire language will be banned by law, not to mention the fact that it is an official UN language and a language spoken by the majority of the population.”

The Russian foreign minister accused the Europeans of trying to convince trump to change their position and not seek a “lasting arrangement.”

“We know who is dedicated to that. They are the Europeans, Zelensky’s sponsors and masters”said.

What are the “original causes of the conflict?”

When Russia talks about the “original causes of the conflict” refers to what was said by Vladimir Putin in February 2022 to justify what he called the start of a “special military operation” in Ukraine. The conditions for a peace negotiation and the end of the war are the following:

• NATO’s expansion to the east. Russia maintains that the incorporation of former Soviet bloc countries into NATO—and the possibility that Ukraine adheres—represents a direct threat to its national security. Putin claims that the war seeks to prevent Ukraine from becoming “a Western military base” on its border.
• The “denazification” of Ukraine. It is one of the most controversial arguments. Moscow claims that the Ukrainian government is dominated by “radical nationalist elements” who promote anti-Russian policies, despite the fact that there is no international evidence to support the existence of a “Nazi regime” in kyiv.
• The “protection” of the Russian-speaking population in Donbas. Since 2014, after the annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in eastern Ukraine, Russia claims to act in defense of the Russian speakers of Donetsk and Lugansk, who – according to its version – were persecuted by the Ukrainian government.
• The status of Crimea. Putin considers that Crimea “is an inseparable part of Russia” since its annexation in in 2014, and demands that kyiv formally recognize that sovereignty as an indispensable condition for any peace agreement.
• The permanent neutrality of Ukraine. Moscow proposes that Ukraine should be a neutral state, without military alliances with the West, and maintain a relationship of “strategic coexistence” with Russia.

Trump’s ambiguity

For Andrés Gómez de la Torrea specialist in defense and intelligence issues, the relationship between Trump and Zelensky, although they have ironed out the gross differences that distance them, remain uncomfortable and without consensus on how to end the war in Ukraine.

“trump proposes freeze the conflict on the current lines of combatestablishing a “de facto border” or a kind of temporary armistice which should then be formalized by international treatieswhich would imply legal changes at borders. In practice, this would mean accept territorial concessions to Russiasomething Zelensky rejects”Gómez de la Torre told El Comercio.

Regarding the rejection of Russiathe analyst maintained that “maintains its commitment to war of attritionand knows that the prolongation of the conflict can finally give it more favorable geographical positions than the current ones “Maybe in a few months, and at that moment he will decide to freeze the war.”

On the military support needed ZelenskyGómez de la Torre said that trump keeps his ambiguous policy of support for Ukraineavoiding transferring Tomahawk cruise missiles to it.

“This refusal by Trump to hand over the Tomahawks is also a kind of triumph for Russia, because it has spoken with Trump about it. It is definitely an indicator that Putin knows perfectly well that he can bend the hand of the president of the United States,” he emphasized.

However, Gómez de la Torre said that in the future trump could approve the delivery of a small batch of Tomahawk to destroy Russian drone factories and refineries. “They would be attacks limited in depth. The Ukrainian negotiating party makes a maximalist request to approve at least a minimum number of missiles.”