00:00A Russia-Ukraine peace deal is ready to go, but there's one man standing in its way,
00:05says Washington. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
00:08I think we have a deal with Russia, we have to get a deal with Zelensky,
00:13and I hope that Zelensky, I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelensky.
00:16So far it's been harder.
00:18U.S. threats to abandon peace brokering between Kyiv and Moscow are growing.
00:23This week, top U.S. officials pulled out of a London meeting on the issue.
00:27Now Washington says its patience is growing thin,
00:30as the Ukrainian president apparently drags his feet on the deal.
00:34But you need both sides of the war willing to do that,
00:38and unfortunately President Zelensky seems to be moving in the wrong direction.
00:41But what's in this peace deal exactly?
00:44The U.S.-crafted proposal explicitly bans Ukraine from joining NATO,
00:49a key concern for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
00:51It also calls on Kyiv to cede much of the land it's already lost, including Crimea.
00:57Annexed by Russia in 2014.
00:59But for Zelensky, that's just not an option.
01:03Ukraine does not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea.
01:07There's nothing to talk about.
01:09It is outside our constitution.
01:12This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine.
01:15Just last night, the streets of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, were filled with sirens and explosions.
01:28As missiles and drone strikes killed at least nine people and injured dozens more.
01:35Despite Russia's full-scale invasion being deep into its third year,
01:39the people in this city remain defiant.
01:43Crimea is certainly a part of Ukraine, and it's not hub to any discussion.
01:51We do not need peace at this price.
01:54Boys have been dying for more than ten years, and we cannot betray them.
01:59There will be another country to mediate.
02:03The United States is not the only option.
02:06While Trump says he has no favorites in this fight,
02:10I have no favorites.
02:11the terms of the deal do seem to favor Russia.
02:14But the side that the U.S. is really backing may just be itself.
02:18The U.S. just wants any deal.
02:22And that, it doesn't matter whether it's a good deal for Ukraine or a good deal for Russia,
02:28they want to be able to show that they are a broker and maybe a power player.
02:34Zelensky, now in South Africa for more diplomatic outreach,
02:37says that Ukraine is ready to talk with Russia when a ceasefire is agreed.
02:42But whether Washington will be there too remains an uncomfortable uncertainty.
02:46Scott Huang and Rees for Taiwan Plus.
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