Ukraine risks losing its dignity or a “key partner,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Friday as his government faced pressure from the U.S. to agree to a new peace deal by Thanksgiving or face losing American support.
The White House wants Kyiv to sign off on a “framework” to end the war in Ukraine based upon the U.S.-crafted 28-point peace plan by Thursday, according to three U.S. officials.
The U.S. communicated that target to the Ukrainian government, though the officials stressed this was more of a goal than a firm deadline. Negotiations to end the conflict are expected to be quite complex and will take more than a week to hash out, these officials acknowledged.
“This is one of the most difficult moments in our history,” Zelenskyy said in a somber 10-minute video addressed to the Ukrainian people.
“Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest,” he said. “Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner, either the difficult 28 points, or a very difficult winter” Zelenskyy added, urging the nation to stay united during what he said would be “a very difficult, eventful” week.
His stark warning came as Ukraine and its allies raced to respond to the proposal that would grant Russia key demands at a moment of weakness for Kyiv.
The Kremlin maintained that it had not seen details of the plan, but urged Ukraine to make a “responsible decision” in light of mounting battlefield pressure.
Zelenskyy held an urgent call with the leaders of Britain, Germany and France, after which he said he valued President Donald Trump’s efforts and would keep working with American officials to ensure Kyiv’s “principled stances are taken into account.”
The sudden emergence of the plan has fueled unease across the continent, which fears a deal imposing major concessions on Ukraine could embolden Russia further.
A senior U.S. official told NBC News that the plan was drawn up immediately following discussions with Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. He “agreed to the majority of the plan, after making several modifications, and presented it to President Zelenskyy,” the official said.
Rustem Umerov is at the center of the reports swirling about the plan.Pavlo Bahmut / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Umerov denied this Friday.
“During my visit to the United States, my role was technical — organizing meetings and preparing the dialogue. I provided no assessments or, even more so, approvals of any points. This is not within my authority and does not correspond to the procedure,” he said in a post on X.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that any deal must provide full security guarantees and deterrence for Ukraine, Europe and Russia.
“This plan was crafted to reflect the realities of the situation, after five years of a devastating war, to find the best win-win scenario, where both parties gain more than they must give,” she said.
