Momentum builds in Ukraine peace push, but experts fear Putin won’t budge

As the United States advances a revised bid model aimed astatine ending the warfare successful Ukraine, officials and experts from Kyiv, Moscow and Washington archer Fox News Digital the effort is person to a breakthrough than astatine immoderate constituent since Russia’s penetration — but inactive stalled by the aforesaid immovable obstacle: the Kremlin wants Ukrainian land, and Ukraine refuses to surrender immoderate of it.

President Donald Trump said this week that "tremendous progress" has been made, announcing that his peculiar envoy, Steve Witkoff, volition conscionable Russian officials successful Moscow portion elder U.S. defence leaders beryllium down with their Ukrainian counterparts. A elder American authoritative confirmed to Fox News Digital that Kyiv has accepted the "broad contours" of an emerging deal, with "minor details" inactive being negotiated. European allies accidental they are coordinating a caller "Coalition of the Willing," with France calling for a "just and lasting peace."

But arsenic Russia launches caller rocket and drone strikes connected Kyiv — sidesplitting civilians and damaging powerfulness infrastructure — negotiators pass that the territorial question remains the hard reddish line.

US AND RUSSIA DRAFT PEACE PLAN FOR UKRAINE REQUIRING MAJOR CONCESSIONS FROM KYIV

Ukrainian servicemen of the 44th artillery brigade occurrence a 2s22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions astatine the frontline successful the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)

Oleksii Honcharenko, an absorption subordinate of Ukraine’s Parliament, told Fox News Digital helium believes Ukraine indispensable prosecute bid "as soon arsenic possible," adjacent though ample segments of Ukrainian nine distrust the emerging plan. "My idiosyncratic presumption is that we request bid arsenic soon arsenic possible," helium said. "This program is simply a chance. I don’t similar everything successful it… immoderate things are unacceptable. But it is simply a workable framework."

He pushed backmost connected disapproval that the "peace proposal" is simply a U.S.– Russia blueprint imposed connected Kyiv. "For me, it doesn’t substance who the archetypal writer was. There is simply a framework. Let’s enactment connected it."

Honcharenko acknowledged that sanctions alleviation — 1 of Russia’s halfway demands — would beryllium achy for Ukrainians. But helium besides underscored the world of the battlefield: "We are not successful the presumption wherever our tanks are adjacent Moscow. There volition not beryllium a solution I similar completely."

House Foreign Affairs committee member, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital the concern reinforces the request for beardown American leadership. "Russia invaded Ukraine due to the fact that Joe Biden was the weakest President successful American history."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits flooded country aft the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's onslaught connected Ukraine, successful Kherson, Ukraine June 8, 2023. (Reuters/Stringer)

Barr, a campaigner for U.S. Senate successful Kentucky said, "President Trump’s peace-through-strength enactment kept Putin afloat contained. This warfare ne'er would person happened nether his watch. Trump is the Peace President… the lone person who tin extremity this warfare and bring stableness backmost to Europe."

Exiled Russian economist and erstwhile lawman concern curate Sergey Aleksashenko echoed the main roadblock: "The biggest quality is territorial," helium told Fox News Digital. "Russia wants to drawback what it was not capable to instrumentality by subject means. Ukraine does not privation to springiness up. All different points could beryllium resolved, but not territory."

TRUMP TOUTS 'PROGRESS' ON UKRAINE-RUSSIA DEAL, ADMITS IT'S 'ONE OF THE MORE DIFFICULT' CONFLICTS TO SOLVE

He said helium sees nary motion that Putin is prepared to compromise, arguing the Kremlin believes Western enactment for Ukraine is weakening. Putin whitethorn beryllium consenting to combat "another two, 3 years," convinced helium tin outlast Kyiv and European governments struggling to support subject aid.

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff during a gathering successful Moscow, Russia Aug. 6, 2025.  (Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reuters)

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove (Ret.) told Fox News Digital helium doesn't spot Ukraine agreeing to springiness Russia onshore Russia has ne'er conquered. "It is an incredibly, incredibly atrocious thought," helium said.

Breedlove argued that Putin’s goals widen acold beyond Ukraine and that the Russian president has been wide astir wanting to reshape the information bid successful Eastern Europe. He besides warned that Zelenskyy is negotiating nether dense unit from Western governments that power Ukraine’s entree to weapons and funding.

RUSSIA BOMBARDS KYIV, KILLING AT LEAST 6, AS TRUMP PEACE PLAN MOVES FORWARD

"It’s precise wide he’s being threatened with nary support," Breedlove said. "If Mr. Zelenskyy loses the enactment of America and Europe, life’s going to beryllium truly disfigured for Ukraine. But they volition not halt fighting."

He said aboriginal versions of the U.S. connection included "egregious" provisions that Ukraine ne'er would person agreed to, but that the process has "improved" arsenic Kyiv’s input was incorporated. Still, "the things that are acceptable to Ukraine are not going to beryllium acceptable to Mr. Putin," helium said.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and and different members of the U.S. delegation, and Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and different members of the Ukrainian delegation beryllium earlier closed-door talks connected ending Russia's warfare successful Ukraine, astatine the U.S. Mission successful Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 23, 2025.  (Emma Farge/Reuters)

Breedlove pushed backmost connected the assertion that Kyiv is acceptable to concede territory, saying lawmakers privation bid but not capitulation. "I judge determination are galore parliamentary hearings and galore successful Zelenskyy's radical that privation peace, but they privation a durable, equitable peace. I'm not definite that they're acceptable to marque a batch of concessions to bash that," helium said.

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As negotiators determination toward what they anticipation volition beryllium a last circular of talks, each sides hold connected 1 point: the occurrence oregon nonaccomplishment of this effort volition beryllium connected whether Ukraine and Russia — nether unit from allies, including incentives from Washington and the realities of the battlefield — tin yet span the territorial disagreement that has defined the warfare from time one.