US rejects Russian demand for Ukraine's full withdrawal from partially occupied oblasts, NYT reports

The White House has so far refused to support a Russian demand for Ukraine to retreat from the entirety of four Ukrainian oblasts that President Vladimir Putin claims to have annexed, a participant in the peace talks told the New York Times in comments published on April 25.

The United States considers the demand an "unreasonable and unachievable" condition, the source told the outlet.

The Kremlin illegally declared annexation of the four territories – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts – following sham referenda in late 2022, incorporating them into Russia’s constitution - in a move that holds no weight internationally.

Although Moscow has declared these provinces, along with Crimea, as Russian territory, it does not fully control them. Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including most of Luhansk Oblast, two-thirds of Donetsk Oblast, and around 73% of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated Russia’s territorial demands on April 23 in an interview with France’s Le Point, claiming that the goals of the Russian war "have not changed."

According to the New York Times, Trump administration officials told Ukrainian negotiators that the United States would not support Russian demands for restrictions on Ukraine’s military size or capabilities and would resist Russian control over all occupied territories.

At the same time, the U.S. administration has pushed Ukraine to accept a "freeze" of the current front lines. It reportedly remains open to recognizing Russian sovereignty over Crimea, a position Kyiv rejects.

U.S. officials said Russia would probably keep about the same amount of land under any future deal, the New York Times reported. Ukraine reportedly suggested swapping some areas to strengthen its defenses, which Trump administration officials promised to support, but warned Russia may not agree.

Meanwhile, European leaders and Ukraine continue to push for a peace framework that preserves Ukraine’s sovereignty, saying that territorial issues could be discussed after a full and unconditional ceasefire.

More than 45 days ago, Ukraine accepted a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire. Russia rejected the plan, insisting instead on a complete halt to Western military aid to Kyiv. Since then, Moscow has escalated its attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The latest assault, on April 25, killed 12 people and wounded 87, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of being the main obstacle to peace.

Zelensky and Trump met on April 26 at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, their first encounter since a tense meeting in Washington earlier this year. Arranged with the quiet backing of European officials, the Vatican talks were described by both sides as productive and constructive.

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