US President Donald Trump has given Ukraine less than a week to accept his peace proposal to end the nearly four-year Ukraine war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned his nation on Friday that it may have to make a crucial decision between defending its sovereign rights and maintaining the American assistance it requires.
The US proposal to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine that is perceived to favour Russia and includes many of the Kremlin’s long-standing demands while providing Ukraine with limited security guarantees, was tentatively welcomed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. While blaming Ukraine of resisting the idea and being unrealistic, Putin stated that it “could form the basis of a final peace settlement.”
The plan calls for Ukraine to reduce the strength of its army and give up its desired route to NATO membership, all while ceding territory to Russia, something Kyiv has consistently ruled out.
Zelenskyy promised to “work calmly” with Washington and other allies during what he described as “truly one of the most difficult moments in our history,” but he did not categorically reject the idea in his speech hours earlier. Instead, he urged on equitable treatment. He claimed to have discussed the peace proposal with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and US Vice President JD Vance for about an hour on Friday.
“Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest. Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner,” Zelenskyy said in the recorded speech.
Putin described the plan as “a new version” and “a modernised plan” of what was discussed with the United States before to his August summit with Trump in Alaska, he said that Moscow has received it, while speaking at a meeting of Russia’s National Security Council. “I believe that it, too, could form the basis for a final peace settlement,” he said.
However, Putin added that Washington has yet to secure Ukraine’s approval and that the “text has not been discussed with us in any substantive way, and I can guess why.”
“Ukraine is against it. Apparently, Ukraine and its European allies are still under illusions and dream of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield,” the Russian president said.
Zelenskyy must accept the American plan, Trump said on Friday, and if he doesn’t, “they should just keep fighting, I guess.”
When questioned by reporters about Zelenskyy’s statement that his nation must make a difficult decision, Trump referenced to their stormy meeting in February, which caused a brief break in ties between the US and Ukraine: “You remember right in the Oval Office not so long ago? I said you don’t have the cards.”
In a radio interview earlier on Friday, Trump stated that he would like Zelenskyy to respond to his 28-point plan by Thursday, but that an extension may be granted to complete the terms.
In an interview on Fox News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show,” the US president sad, “I’ve had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines. But Thursday is it — we think an appropriate time.”
Zelenskyy has indicated that Ukraine must face the risk of losing American assistance if it takes a stance, even if he has offered to engage with the US and Russia.
In an apparent allusion to a significant corruption scandal that has drawn harsh criticism of the administration, he called on Ukrainians to “stop fighting” one another and stated that peace negotiations next week “will be very difficult.”
As European officials rushed to react to the US plan that seemed to have taken them off guard, Zelenskyy had earlier spoken over the phone with the leaders of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, who assured him of their continued support.
The leaders of Europe and Ukraine carefully crafted their comments, praising American peace initiatives while being wary about upsetting Trump.
Zelenskyy received assurances from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of “their unchanged and full support on the way to a lasting and just peace” in Ukraine, according to Merz’s office.
The leaders applauded US efforts to put an end to the Ukraine war. “In particular, they welcomed the commitment to the sovereignty of Ukraine and the readiness to grant Ukraine solid security guarantees,” the statement read.