Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Faces A Stark Choice And Risks Losing American Support Over U.S. Peace Plan

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that his country may face a crucial choice between defending its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs as leaders debate a U.S. peace proposal seen as favorable to Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin cautiously welcomed this development. US plan Nearly ending Moscow four years war In Ukraine, this includes many of the Kremlin’s long-standing demands and offers Ukraine limited security guarantees. While Putin said this “could form the basis of an eventual peace agreement”, he accused Ukraine of opposing the plan and being unrealistic.

The plan calls for Ukraine to cede its territory to Russia (something Kiev has repeatedly denied) and reduce the size of its army, blocking the path to NATO membership.

Zelenskyy did not directly reject the plan in his speech hours earlier, but insisted on fair treatment while promising to “work calmly” with Washington and other partners during what he called “truly one of the most difficult moments in our history.” He said he spoke for almost an hour with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll about the peace proposal on Friday.

“The pressure on Ukraine right now is one of the most difficult,” Zelenskyy said in his recorded speech. “Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice; either lose its honor or risk losing an important partner.”

Speaking at a meeting of Russia’s National Security Council, Putin described the plan as a “new version” and a “modernized plan” of the plan discussed with the United States before the Alaska summit with President Donald Trump in August, and said Moscow had received the plan. “I believe this can form the basis of a final peace agreement,” he said.

But “the text has not been substantively discussed with us, and I can guess why,” he said, adding that Washington had so far failed to obtain Ukraine’s consent. “Ukraine is against it. Apparently, Ukraine and its European allies are still dreaming and dreaming of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield,” Putin said.

Trump said Zelenskyy would have to accept the US offer and if he didn’t “I guess they just have to keep fighting”.

After reporters said Zelenskyy’s country faced a difficult choice, Trump alluded to the tense meeting in February that led to a brief rupture in US-Ukraine relations: “Remember when he was in the Oval Office not long ago? I said you didn’t have the cards.”

Trump said in a radio interview early Friday that he wanted a response from Zelenskyy on his 28-point plan by Thursday, but that an extension was possible to finalize the terms.

“I had a lot of deadlines, but if things are going well, you tend to extend the deadlines,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show.” “But it’s on Thursday; we think it’s a good time.”

While Zelenskyy offered to negotiate with the United States and Russia, he signaled that Ukraine must face the possibility of losing American support if it resists.

He called on Ukrainians to “stop fighting” each other. major corruption scandal This led to harsh criticism of the government, which said next week’s peace talks “will be very difficult”.

Zelenskyy had previously spoken by phone with the leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom, assuring them of their continued support as European officials scrambled to respond to US overtures that caught them off guard.

Wary of antagonizing Trump, European and Ukrainian leaders expressed their reactions cautiously and pointedly praised America’s peace efforts.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured Zelenskyy of their “unwavering and full support on the path to a lasting and just peace” in Ukraine, Merz’s office said.

The four leaders welcomed US efforts to end the war. “They especially welcomed the commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and the readiness to provide solid security guarantees to Ukraine,” the statement said.

They said the line of contact should be the starting point of an agreement and that “Ukrainian armed forces must remain in a position to effectively defend Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

Starmer said Ukraine’s “right to determine its future under its own sovereignty is a fundamental principle.”

European countries believe their future is at stake in Ukraine’s fight against Russian occupation and insist that they be consulted in peace efforts.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in Brussels: “Russia’s war against Ukraine is an existential threat to Europe. We all want this war to end. But how it ends is important.” “Russia has no legal right to seek concessions from the country it occupies. Ultimately, Ukraine will decide the terms of any agreement.”

In the radio interview, Trump rejected the idea that the agreement, which offers many concessions to Russia, would embolden Putin to carry out more malicious actions against his European neighbors.

“He’s not considering any more war,” Trump said of Putin. “He’s thinking of punishment. Say what you want. I mean, this was supposed to be a one-day battle, now it’s been four years.”

A European government official said: US plans it was not officially presented to Ukraine’s European supporters.

Many of the proposals are “quite worrying,” the official said, adding that a bad deal for Ukraine would also pose a threat to the overall security of Europe.

The official was not authorized to discuss the plan publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

European Council President Antonio Costa, who is in Johannesburg, said the following about the US proposals: “No plan has been officially communicated to the European Union.”

“This so-called ‘peace plan’ has real problems, and I am extremely doubtful it will achieve peace,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Ukraine should not be forced to cede its territory to Vladimir Putin, one of the world’s most obvious war criminals.”

Wicker added that Ukraine should be allowed to determine the size of its army and that Putin should not be rewarded with assurances from the United States.

“There is general concern and alarm that this is a Russian wish list proposal,” said Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

While Ukrainian officials said that they were evaluating the US proposals, Zelenskyy said that he expected to talk to Trump about this issue in the coming days.

A U.S. team began drafting the plan immediately after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Rustem Umerov, a top adviser to Zelenskyy, according to a senior Trump administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official added that Umerov agreed to most of the plan after making a few changes and then presented the plan to Zelenskyy.

However, on Friday Umerov denied this version of events. He said he was just holding meetings and preparing interviews.

He said technical talks between the United States and Ukraine continue in Kiev.

“We carefully evaluate our partners’ proposals within the framework of Ukraine’s immutable principles of sovereignty, people’s security and just peace,” he said.

Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal. Harriet Morris in Tallinn, Estonia, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Angela Charlton in Paris, Pan Pylas in London and Aamer Madhani in Washington also contributed reporting.