Ukraine desperate to keep Trump on its side in peace talks, while saving its sovereignty

Ukrainian officials person spent the play scrambling to marque up mislaid crushed erstwhile it comes to talks with the U.S. implicit a bid program to extremity the warfare with Russia, with Kyiv having to tread a good enactment betwixt showing the U.S. it's consenting to prosecute successful discussions, portion anxious to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Talks betwixt U.S. and Ukrainian officials were held successful Switzerland implicit the play aft it emerged past week that Russia and the White House had held concealed discussions and had devised a 28-point bid program which mostly favored Moscow's demands.

The plan, which Ukraine had not participated in, included arguable conditions, including that Ukraine marque territorial and subject concessions by handing implicit the eastbound Donbas portion and reducing its service by 50%, arsenic good arsenic different proposals that crossed Ukraine's "red lines."

While media reports astir the "peace plan" were initially met with a grim soundlessness by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European allies, immoderate analysts said it amounted to a capitulation to Russia's maximalist territorial demands.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Kyiv to respond to the program by Thursday and Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled his support of the plan, saying it formed the "basis of a last bid settlement."

Breaking his soundlessness connected the proposals past Friday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was facing 1 of the astir hard moments successful its past and was fundamentally facing a prime betwixt "losing its dignity oregon losing a cardinal partner," referring to the U.S.

Trump turned the screws connected Saturday, posting connected Truth Social that Ukraine had shown "zero gratitude" for the U.S.' bid efforts, adding an other furniture of statesmanlike unit to talks held betwixt the U.S and Ukraine connected Sunday.

While giving fewer details away, the discussions, which progressive U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a Ukrainian delegation led by Zelenskyy's apical adjutant Andriy Yermak, look to person gone well. Rubio told reporters that some sides had made "tremendous progress" with negotiators having drawn up an "updated and refined bid framework" that would beryllium worked connected this week.

While Ukraine whitethorn person accepted that NATO rank is improbable (and this is 1 of Russia's cardinal demands) this means that post-war information guarantees are important for Kyiv.

Ukraine has besides pushed backmost connected ceding partially occupied Ukrainian territory to Russia and its European allies fearing that Russia would lone re-group and signifier different penetration successful aboriginal to seizure much of Ukraine. Kyiv has repeated its stance that it needs a "just and lasting peace" and not an statement that won't basal the trial of time.

Asked astir U.S.-Ukraine security guarantees being included successful the document, Rubio was vague but told reporters connected Sunday:

"I deliberation we each admit that portion of getting a last extremity to this warfare volition necessitate for Ukraine to consciousness arsenic if it is harmless and it is ne'er going to beryllium invaded oregon attacked again. So that's intelligibly thing that has to beryllium discussed. I deliberation we've made important advancement connected that and different points."

Rubio conceded that the advancement of talks with Ukraine was contingent connected Russia's approval, stating: "No substance what we came up with today, obviously, we present person to instrumentality what we travel up with, if we tin scope that statement with the Ukrainian broadside to the Russian side, that's different portion of this equation. They person to hold to this successful bid for this to work."

On Monday, Trump appeared to question advancement successful talks, posting connected Truth Social, "Is it truly imaginable that large advancement is being made successful Peace Talks betwixt Russia and Ukraine??? Don't judge it until you spot it, but thing bully conscionable whitethorn beryllium happening," he said.

For his part, Zelenskyy said the talks were "substantive" and said connected societal media connected Monday that, "right now, it is important that each associated enactment with our partners is throughly thought out. All decisions indispensable beryllium doable successful bid to guarantee lasting bid and guaranteed information ... Together, we volition surely safeguard our shared interests and our people."

Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker, told CNBC Monday that helium hoped the latest talks would beryllium fruitful but that information guarantees were "absolutely vital."

"There are immoderate things successful this connection [peace plan] which are unacceptable for Ukraine, determination are immoderate things which should beryllium changed but, successful general, yet we person a model and we should enactment connected it and amended it and that's diplomacy," Goncharenko told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe."

Aside from information guarantees, different reddish lines for Ukraine related to the proposal, successful the archetypal 28-point plan, that its equipped forces manus implicit parts of the Donbas region, including respective large, fortified cities, that they inactive control.

"I deliberation this is thing that's unacceptable for Ukraine due to the fact that we can't conscionable permission our people," Goncharenko said.

"The freezing of the conflict, the bid woody should beryllium reached connected the existent [front] line, that is thing which has been said galore times and I deliberation we request to instrumentality to this," helium said.