President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has warned his colleagues of “difficult decisions” given the conditions the US is proposing to end the war. “Ukraine now faces a very difficult choice, between losing its dignity or risking losing an important partner,” Zelensky said in a video address posted on Telegram. It was one of the “most difficult moments” in Ukrainian history.
Previously, the US detailed a 28-point plan to end Russia’s war against Ukraine become known. This includes, among other things, conditions that largely comply with Russia’s demands. Ukraine must cede strategically important territory in the Donetsk region to Russia, which Russian forces have so far failed to conquer.
Moreover, Ukrainian troop strength will be limited in the future – albeit at a much higher level of 600,000 troops. Russia had asked for it. According to the plan, future accession to NATO would be ruled out, as would the deployment of peacekeeping forces to ensure peace. Although Ukraine must receive certain security guarantees – a key demand of the attacked country – these are not spelled out in more detail in the plan.
“I will offer an alternative”
Ukraine now has a choice between “28 hard spots or a very difficult winter – the most difficult winter ever – and further risks; life without freedom, without dignity, without justice,” Zelensky said, referring to Russia’s attacks on the country’s energy grid. At the same time, he assured that he did not want to “betray” his country. “We didn’t betray Ukraine (on the day of the Russian invasion) and we won’t do it now.”
The head of state promised to seek better conditions in the US plan: “I will present arguments, I will convince, I will offer alternatives,” Zelensky announced. “But we certainly will not give the enemy a reason to say that Ukraine does not want peace.” Ukraine will “work calmly with America and all our partners. We will seek constructive solutions with our most important partners.”
However, it is currently unclear how much free time he has to negotiate better conditions. That Financial Times etcand Reuters news agency reported that several European countries, including Germany, wanted to work with Ukraine on alternative plans in the coming days.
Trump demanded Ukraine’s commitment on Thursday
Before his speech, Zelenskyj spoke by telephone with US Vice President JD Vance. The content of the phone call is unknown. However, Zelensky indicated that his decision on the possible acceptance of the US plan was under US pressure: “The pressure on Ukraine now is one of the heaviest.” Zelensky, among other things, said in his speech: “We are, of course, made of steel. But any metal, even the strongest, can fail.”
Previously reported by the Reuters news agency, citing anonymous sources United States of America will threaten Ukraine with the withdrawal of military aid and an end to intelligence transfers if Ukraine rejects the plan. US President Donald Trump had taken a similar approach in the spring and suspended both for several days – at the time because Ukraine would not give in to his demands for a deal to reduce profits from Ukrainian resources.
But Trump made clear that he now wants to get a quick commitment from Ukraine. The US President told Fox News he was giving Zelenskyj until next Thursday to respond to the plan. “I have a lot of deadlines, but when things are going well, you tend to extend those deadlines,” Trump said, perhaps referring to the multiple deadlines he has set for Russia to agree to unconditional ceasefires and repeatedly allowed them to expire. He continued: “But Thursday is important.”
This article will continue to be updated.
