Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine faces one of the most difficult moments in its history after Donald Trump demanded Kyiv accepts within days a US-backed “peace plan” that would force it to give up territory to Russia and make other painful concessions. Trump confirmed that next Thursday, Thanksgiving in the US, would be an “acceptable” deadline for Zelenskyy to sign the deal, which European and Ukrainian officials have said amounts to a “capitulation”.
The 28-point plan envisages Ukraine giving up the eastern Donbas region – including areas it currently controls – and shrinking the size of its army. It rules out the deployment of European peacekeepers and says Kyiv must relinquish long-range weapons and not join Nato.
In a sombre 10-minute speech outside his presidential palace, Zelenskyy said his country had an impossible choice. It could keep its national dignity or risk losing a major partner in the form of a US administration apparently determined to end the conflict on Moscow’s terms. “Now the pressure on Ukraine is one of the heaviest,” he said. Its options included agreeing to Trump’s proposal or “an extremely difficult winter”, which has already seen Russia destroy much of the country’s energy infrastructure.
Agreeing to the US-Russian plan could leave Ukraine “without freedom, dignity and justice”, he said. It would also mean believing “someone who has already attacked us twice”, he added, saying he would never sacrifice Ukraine’s interests or go against its constitution. “We did not betray Ukraine then [in 2022], and we will not do so now,” he declared.
Speaking on Fox radio, Trump said he thought Thursday was an “appropriate time” for Zelenskyy to sign the deal, and said he believed Ukraine could not prevent Russia’s army from taking the Donbas territories by force. US officials indicated that the president is pursuing an “aggressive timeline” and intends to heap unprecedented pressure on Kyiv. Reports suggest Trump is also threatening to cut vital intelligence sharing and weapons supplies if Ukraine fails to agree. A US official said: “It was strongly implied to the Ukrainians that the United States expects them to agree to a peace deal.”
European leaders pushed back on the proposal on Friday, with France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and Britain’s Keir Starmer speaking to Zelenskyy in a show of solidarity. They reaffirmed support for Kyiv and said any agreement had to be genuinely fair and take into account Ukraine’s own red lines. In contrast to the Trump proposal, they said the existing line of contact should be the “starting point” for territorial discussions. Zelenskyy also spoke by telephone with US vice-president JD Vance, after which he gave a cautious statement: “We’re working to make the path forward dignified and truly effective for achieving a lasting peace.” Both countries appointed their national security advisers to continue negotiations.
