Ukraine advances to respond to the US initiative to stop the war

Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ukraine hurried Saturday to respond to a US plan to end the war, which contains many of Russia’s harsh demands, with Kyiv claiming to have discussed the next steps with several important European allies.

While President Volodymyr Zelensky has opposed the 28-point plan, Russian President Vladimir Putin has embraced it. The idea would require Ukraine to give up land, reduce its army, and swear never to join NATO.

The US proposal evaded Europe, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told X that he had “outlined the logic of our further steps” in a call with European counterparts from France, Britain, and the EU’s foreign policy chief.

Separately, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that “Ukraine must determine its future.”

European leaders will meet on the margins of a G20 conference in South Africa on Saturday to make it clear that “there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” according to European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen.

US President Donald Trump has given Ukraine less than a week to sign a deal, but Zelensky pledged on Friday to strive to ensure that any agreement does not “betray” Ukraine’s interests, conceding that he risks losing Washington as an ally.

Ukraine is facing one of the most difficult periods in its history, Zelensky said in an address to the nation, adding that he will present alternatives to Trump’s plan.

Putin stated that the blueprint might “lay the foundation” for an ultimate peace accord but threatened additional property seizures if Ukraine walked away from negotiations.

According to a copy of the plan seen by AFP, Russia would acquire territory, reintegrate with the global economy, and rejoin the G-8.

• “He’ll have to like it.” -

“Ukraine and its European allies are still living under illusions and dreaming of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield,” Putin said during a televised meeting of his security council.

If Kyiv withdraws, Russia claims that its recent retaking of the Ukrainian city of Kupiansk “will inevitably be repeated in other key areas of the front line,” Putin said.

The Ukrainian army disputes that Russia has retaken Kupiansk, which Kyiv lost to Moscow on the day of its invasion in 2022 and later reclaimed.

On Friday, Zelensky recalled how he led Kyiv’s response to Russia’s invasion, adding, “We did not betray Ukraine then, and we will not do so now.”

“I will present arguments, I will persuade, and I will propose alternatives,” he went on.

Trump added that November 27—when the United States celebrates Thanksgiving—was an “appropriate time” for Zelensky to reach an agreement, but that it may be flexible.

“He’ll have to like it, and if he doesn’t like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting,” Donald Trump told the press. “At some point he’s going to have to accept something.”

Following conversations with US Vice President JD Vance, Zelensky stated that Ukraine continues to “respect” Trump’s intention to end the war.

He also held an emergency call with the leaders of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

The Ukrainian president intends to speak directly with Trump soon, according to his administration.

• ‘Loss of Dignity’

In Kyiv, opinion was divided on whether Ukraine should accept the plan and negotiate a better position or reject it as a capitulation.

Yanina, a 41-year-old seamstress, predicted that the proposal would go nowhere and that the battle would continue.

“Neither we nor Russia will make concessions,” she told reporters.

Earlier this week, Russia launched one of its deadliest attacks this year, as well as one of the most devastating to western Ukraine since the invasion.

The death toll in the western city of Ternopil has risen to 32, according to regional police, after cruise missiles slammed into apartment buildings.

The Ternopil attack came as Russia battered Ukraine’s energy grid ahead of winter, putting Kyiv’s stretched troops under pressure on the front lines.

To end the war, the US plan envisions declaring Moscow-controlled territory as “de facto” Russian, with Kyiv withdrawing forces from parts of the Donetsk region.

Kyiv would also limit its army to 600,000, rule out joining NATO, and have no NATO forces stationed on its soil.

In exchange, Ukraine would receive unspecified “reliable security guarantees” and a rehabilitation fund using some Russian assets frozen in foreign accounts.

“The strain on Ukraine is one of the most severe. Ukraine may confront a difficult decision: either lose dignity or risk losing an important partner,” Zelensky stated in his remarks.