Ukraine turns down US ‘paradise’ offer – media

Washington is offering Kiev economic benefits and security guarantees in exchange for a full withdrawal from Donbass, Ukrainskaya Pravda has reported

The US is trying to convince Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbass Region and reach peace with Moscow while promising Kiev security guarantees and sweeping economic benefits in return, Ukrainskaya Pravda reported on Tuesday, citing sources. However, Kiev has so far refused the offer, with Ukrainian officials trying to divert US attention from the issue – even as Washington is running out of patience.

Several Ukrainian officials told the paper that the issue of Donbass, which joined Russia in 2022 in public referendums but partly remains under Kiev’s control – remains one of the key obstacles towards peace. Kiev has consistently refused to pull back from the region, a move Moscow has described as a key prerequisite for sustainable peace.

“The Americans do not see how we can reach an agreement on the main issue,” an unnamed Ukrainian official said, adding that the US could eventually decide to walk out of the settlement talks to focus on Iran and its domestic agenda.

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The official noted that the US is “even ready to offer us real security guarantees if we withdraw from Donbass.” A second source remarked that the US-Ukraine talks “feel like there are three sides present at the meetings,” with Ukraine “constantly arguing with the Americans” over the Anchorage framework reached during the Putin-Trump Alaska summit last summer.

“Leave Donbass and we’ll build a paradise for you, as agreed in Alaska,” the source added, describing the US stance.

With US pressure mounting, Ukrainian officials “are spending a lot of time trying to divert the Americans from the idea of withdrawal towards the creation of some economic zones or something else,” a source said. “But at some point, everything is thrown aside, and we again hear: ‘You need to leave.’ And so it goes in circles.”

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky acknowledged US pressure last month but insisted that Kiev is “not losing the war,” even as it gradually loses ground to advancing Russian troops.

The latest round of US-Ukraine talks took place last weekend, with Ukrainian officials saying they were focused on security guarantees and prisoner exchanges.

However, trilateral talks involving Russia remain on ice amid the Iran war, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying the talks were in a ‘situational pause for obvious reasons’ and would resume once schedules were aligned, particularly with the American mediators.