Michal said: "Estonia will never recognize the forcible seizure of territories from Ukraine. That is clear. And we have repeatedly seen how Putin says 'yes,' only to follow it with a 'but.' So, during this time as well, we must support Ukraine as much as possible, in order to ultimately pressure Russia," said Michal.

Michal added that Americans need to understand concessions are not the way to deal with Russia. So far, Ukrainians have acted wisely, assuring all parties they are ready for an "initial ceasefire."

Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said: "It cannot be ruled out that Putin is playing a game to blame Ukraine for not reaching a potential ceasefire, but these are the aspects Ukrainian leaders must also consider."

A peace process without the U.S. is not conceivable, the prime minister said. "In any case, Europe must bear the main burden on Ukraine's future, but we expect this to happen in partnership with the U.S. — that the U.S. will remain involved one way or another."

The prime minister hopes to see results from the next round of high-level meetings in early May.

The same goes for Ukrainian involvement, Pevkur said. "Speculating now about the consequences — I hope we won't have to go that far, and that the U.S. and Ukraine will maintain enough contact to understand that a good outcome from a ceasefire and peace talks can only happen if Ukraine is involved."

Security expert Raivo Vare noted this has led to a deadlock, saying: "Ukraine is doing everything it can to avoid being completely opposed to anything the Americans propose, but at the same time, it cannot fully agree with everyone either. So I don't know how this situation can be resolved at all."

According to Vare, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped the London meeting at the last minute when he realized Ukrainian and European positions hadn't moved closer to those of the Americans, meaning reaching an agreement was impossible.

A leaked seven-point U.S. plan confirmed that Americans are willing to ditch admitting Ukraine into NATO and to recognize Crimea as part of Russia – both key demands Russia made when launching its invasion.

 U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, responsible for the Middle East but drafted into the Ukraine-Russia talks, is expected to present the plan to Russian leader Vladimir Putin today, Thursday.

Early this year, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Russia with sanctions unless a peace deal was made but also opened direct talks with Putin, implying Ukraine shared culpability for the war, which raised concerns from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, who insisted on being part of negotiations. Trump, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Vice President J.D. Vance have also stressed shifting U.S. focus to China, while urging Europe to take on more responsibility for Ukraine.

Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and claims the four easternmost Ukrainian oblasts – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – as part of the Russian Federation, even though it does not and has not militarily occupied these oblasts entirely.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!