Zelenskyy says Ukraine has impossible choice as Trump pushes plan to end war | Ukraine

Ukraine is facing one of the most difficult moments in its history after Donald Trump demanded that Kiev accept a US-backed “peace plan” within days that would force Ukraine to cede territory to Russia and make other painful concessions, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Trump confirmed on Friday morning that next Thursday (Thanksgiving in the US) would be an “acceptable” deadline for Zelenskyy to sign the deal; European and Ukrainian officials said this amounted to “surrender”.

In a somber 10-minute speech outside the presidential palace, Zelenskyy said his country faced an impossible choice. It can preserve its national reputation or risk losing an important partner in the form of the US administration, which appears determined to end the conflict on Moscow’s draconian terms.

“The pressure on Ukraine right now is one of the heaviest,” he said. His options included accepting Trump’s 28-point proposal or accepting an “extremely harsh winter” in which Russia destroyed much of the country’s energy infrastructure and millions of people were left without heat and in the dark.

He said adoption of the US-Russia plan could deprive Ukraine of “freedom, dignity and justice.” It would also mean believing “someone who has already attacked us twice”, he said, adding that he would never sacrifice Ukraine’s interests or go against its constitution. “We did not betray Ukraine then [in 2022]”And we’re not going to do that now,” he said.

Speaking on Fox radio, Trump said Thursday that he thought it was an “opportune time” for Zelenskyy to sign the agreement and that he believed Ukraine would not be able to prevent the Russian army from seizing Donbas territory by force. US officials have stated that the US president is pursuing an “aggressive timeline” to end the conflict and intends to put unprecedented pressure on Kiev.

Trump is also threatening to cut off vital intelligence sharing and arms supplies if Ukraine does not reach a deal, according to reports. On Friday, European leaders withdrew the proposal, which Ukrainian politicians said was “absurd”.

Speaking at the White House later Friday, Trump reiterated that he expected to resolve the war much sooner, given his good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding: “It takes two to tango.”

Referring to Zelenskyy, Trump said: “He’s going to have to like it, and if he doesn’t then you know, they’ve got to keep fighting… He’s going to have to accept something at some point.”

The 28-point plan calls for Ukraine to give up the eastern Donbas region, including areas it currently controls, and reduce the size of its army. He rejects the deployment of European peacekeepers and says Kiev should give up long-range weapons and not join NATO.

On Friday, Zelenskyy spoke by phone with US vice president JD Vance, who had previously pressured Ukraine to strike a deal with Russia to end the war as quickly as possible.

After the hour-long meeting, Zelenskyy issued a cautious statement saying that both sides “managed to cover many details of the American side’s proposals to end the war, and we are working to make the path forward honorable and truly effective to achieve a lasting peace.”

Both countries appointed national security advisors to continue negotiations on the text of the draft peace plan.

Western allies, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Britain’s Keir Starmer, spoke to Zelenskyy on Friday in a show of solidarity. They reiterated their support for Kiev and said any agreement to end the conflict must be truly fair and take into account Ukraine’s own red lines.

They said the current line of contact should be the “starting point” for regional discussions, unlike the Trump proposal that would see Ukraine abandon many major cities. Officials emphasized that the text should also take into account the long-term interests of Europe and Ukraine.

The British prime minister called for “a just and lasting peace”. “This is what the American president wants. This is what we all want, so we need to work from where we are to this point. However, the principle that Ukraine determines its future under its own sovereignty is a fundamental principle.”

Starmer will meet Ukraine’s allies at the Johannesburg G20 summit on Saturday to “strengthen” the plan drawn up by the US.

G7 leaders and other leaders from the G20 will discuss the agreement on the sidelines of a meeting in South Africa, which Donald Trump has avoided.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that a peace deal that rewards invasion would set a “very dangerous” global precedent. “If you give in to aggression, then you invite more aggression,” he said, adding that countries other than Russia could develop an “appetite” for neighboring lands.

In his speech, Zelenskyy commemorated Ukrainians who bravely endured “almost four years of large-scale occupation.” Despite his daily heroics, he hinted that concessions might have to be made. “Our people really want this war to end. Of course we are strong, but even the strongest metal can break. Remember that,” he said.

Zelenskyy said he would work calmly and constructively with Washington on his plan and “present alternatives.” The draft was prepared by Vladimir Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Miami. Europe and Ukraine were excluded from the discussions.

Ukraine’s president said he was working to ensure “national interests” were respected. “There are now meetings almost every hour, phone calls and work on issues that can change a lot,” he wrote on Telegram. He said that his country welcomes the diplomatic efforts of the United States, but wants a real peace that will not be broken by a third. [Russian] occupation”.

Ukrainian government insiders believe relations between Kiev and Washington have improved dramatically since February, when Trump and Vance berated Zelenskyy and threw him out of the Oval Office. Kiev faces the prospect of provoking Trump’s ire once again if it does not quickly accept the deal drawn up by Moscow.

Immediately after the White House debate, Trump briefly suspended intelligence sharing with Kiev, cutting off a key battlefield information channel for Ukraine’s front-line units. The United States has stopped providing direct military aid to Ukraine but continues to provide advanced weapons systems to Kiev under the UN’s priority Ukraine needs list (Purl) initiative, with European partners paying for them.

A delegation of senior US military officials, led by Army secretary Dan Driscoll, held talks with Zelenskyy in Kiev on Thursday. Trump appointed Driscoll, Vance’s friend and former classmate, as his newest “special envoy.” US sources said a group of American generals will likely fly to Moscow at the end of next week to discuss a “peace plan” with the Kremlin.

Putin confirmed on Friday that Moscow had received a copy of the US plan and said it could “form the basis” for ending the war. “I believe this could form the basis of an eventual peace agreement.”
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A person close to the Kremlin said Putin “liked” the broad outlines of the peace proposal but did not meet the Kremlin’s other demands. These include a legally binding guarantee that NATO will not expand further east, as well as enshrining Ukraine’s neutral status in the constitution. As for potential EU membership, the source said Moscow would consider it only if it excluded the military component, citing Austria’s model of neutrality.

US officials said the text was prepared after consultations with Rustam Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defense council and a close ally of Zelenskyy. They added that Umerov, a former defense minister, had made several changes. He denied this, saying he would not accept terms that violate Kiev’s sovereignty.

The reaction of Ukrainian civil society was largely negative. People variously rejected the plan as unilateral and tantamount to Ukraine’s ignominious capitulation. It comes as Zelenskyy is under immense pressure at home following a corruption scandal involving his former business partner and at least two of his ministers.

The plan also failed to win the support of senior European commentators. Constanze Stelzenmüller of the Brookings Institution called the draft “appalling” and said its contents were “outrageous”. If enacted, Russia would become “Europe’s biggest predator,” the official observed. “It really indicates that diplomacy has gone completely to shit,” he added to X.

UK Reform leader Nigel Farage, an ally of the US president, has expressed opposition to the Trump administration’s plan.

“It is unacceptable to ask Ukraine to halve its army. I am waiting to see the counter offer from the Zelensky government,” he said in X.