On April 22, 2025, the Financial Times reported that the Ukrainian authorities expressed their willingness to make a number of concessions in negotiations with the administration of US President Donald Trump aimed at ending hostilities in the country. According to Ukrainian officials, Kyiv is seeking to avoid Washington's accusations of disrupting the negotiations and therefore agrees to consider some proposals from Trump and his team. The publication's sources did not specify what concessions Kyiv is ready to make, but emphasized that the Ukrainian side wants to maintain US support, despite the difficult conditions put forward by the American administration.

This information appeared against the backdrop of another Financial Times report published on the same day, according to which Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed freezing the conflict in Ukraine at the current front line during a meeting with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg. According to the newspaper, in exchange for a ceasefire, Putin demanded recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and blocking Ukraine's accession to NATO. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov categorically denied this information.

However, Western media outlets including Bloomberg and The New York Times have previously indicated that the Trump administration is considering recognizing Crimea as Russian and vetoing Ukraine’s NATO membership as part of a peace deal. These terms, analysts say, are consistent with Trump’s desire to achieve a quick resolution to the conflict, fulfilling his campaign promises. But such moves raise serious concerns in Europe, where leaders including outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron insist that any concessions to Russia must not undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty or the region’s security.

Ukrainian authorities, despite their willingness to compromise, emphasize that there are “red lines.” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with CNN on April 20, 2025, that Kyiv would not agree to recognize the territories as Russian and demanded legally binding security guarantees.

“We are ready to discuss peace, but not at the expense of our independence,” Zelensky noted.

According to Reuters, one possible concession Kyiv is considering is the temporary demilitarization of border zones in exchange for an end to Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure. However, the details remain unclear as the talks are being held behind closed doors.