KYIV, Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Ukraine has to confront the possibility of losing its dignity or risking the loss of a key partner as it figures out how to respond to a US peace proposal to end Russia’s war with his country.
“This is one of the most difficult moments in our history,” Zelensky said in a video address to the nation. “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.”
He said Ukraine would “work calmly with America and all partners,” as he vowed to work constructively.
Zelensky spoke earlier by phone with the leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom, who assured him of their continued support, as European officials scrambled to respond to US peace proposals that apparently caught them unawares.
The US plan contains many of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s longstanding demands, including Ukrainian territorial concessions, while offering limited security guarantees to Ukraine.
Wary of antagonizing US President Donald Trump, the European and Ukrainian responses were cautiously worded and pointedly commended American peace efforts.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured Zelensky of “their unchanged and full support on the way to a lasting and just peace” in Ukraine, Merz’s office said.
The four leaders welcomed US efforts to end the war. “In particular, they welcomed the commitment to the sovereignty of Ukraine and the readiness to grant Ukraine solid security guarantees,” the statement added.
“They agreed to continue pursuing the aim of protecting vital European and Ukrainian interests in the long term,” the statement said. “That includes the line of contact being the point of departure for an agreement and that the Ukrainian armed forces must remain in a position to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine effectively.”
Starmer said the right of Ukraine to “determine its future under its sovereignty is a fundamental principle.”
Existential threat to Europe
European countries see their own futures at stake in Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion and have insisted on being consulted in peace efforts.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine is an existential threat to Europe. We all want this war to end. But how it ends matters,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in Brussels. “Russia has no legal right whatsoever to any concessions from the country it invaded. Ultimately, the terms of any agreement are for Ukraine to decide.”
The plan foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia, something Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out, reduces the size of it army and blocks its route to NATO membership.
Zelensky said the leaders discussed the plan and appreciated the efforts of Trump and his team, although he added that they are “working on the document.”
“We are closely coordinating to ensure that the principled positions are taken into account,” Zelensky said in a Telegram post.
The proposals come at a difficult time for Zelensky, who is grappling with a push on the battlefield by Russia’s bigger army and a major domestic corruption scandal.
Caught off guard
A European government official said that the US plans weren’t officially presented to Ukraine’s European backers.
Many of the proposals are “quite concerning,” the European government official said, adding that a bad deal for Ukraine would also be a threat to broader European security.
The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the plan publicly.
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she also would call Zelensky to discuss the 28-point plan.
“Important is a key principle we have always upheld, and that is nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” she said at a G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
European Council President Antonio Costa in Johannesburg said of the US proposals: “The European Union has not been communicated (about) any plans in (an) official manner.”
Ukraine examines the proposals
Ukrainian officials said they were weighing the US proposals, and Zelensky said he expected to talk to Trump about it in coming days.
“We are fully aware that America’s strength and America’s support can truly bring peace closer, and we do not want to lose that,” Zelensky said on Telegram late Thursday.
The Kremlin offered a reserved reaction, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that Moscow has not officially received the US peace plan.
“No, we haven’t received anything officially. We’re seeing some innovations. But officially, we haven’t received anything. And there hasn’t been a substantive discussion of these points,” Peskov told reporters without elaborating further.
He claimed US-Russian diplomatic contacts are “ongoing,” but “nothing substantive is currently being discussed.”
A US team began drawing up the plan soon after US special envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Rustem Umerov, a top adviser to Zelensky, according to a senior Trump administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The official added that Umerov agreed to most of the plan, after making several modifications, and then presented it to Zelensky.
Umerov on Friday denied that version of events. He said he only organized meetings and prepared the talks.
He said technical talks between the US and Ukraine were continuing in Kyiv. Ukrainian officials are “carefully studying all the partners’ proposals, expecting the same respectful attitude toward the Ukrainian position.”
“We are thoughtfully processing the partners’ proposals within the framework of Ukraine’s unchanging principles — sovereignty, people’s security, and a just peace,” he said.
Russian glide bomb hits Ukraine homes
Meanwhile, a Russian glide bomb slammed into a residential district in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing five people, officials said Friday, as Moscow’s forces continued to hammer civilian areas of Ukraine. The overnight attack also injured 10 people, including a teenage girl.
The powerful glide bomb damaged some high-rise apartment blocks for the third time since the war began and also wrecked a local market, according to the head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov.
A Russian drone assault on the southern city of Odesa also struck a residential area during the night, injuring five people, including a 16-year-old boy.
The attacks came two days after a Russian drone and missile barrage on Ukraine’s western city of Ternopil killed 31 people, including six children, and injured 94 others, including 18 children.
Emergency services say 13 people are still unaccounted for after the attack crushed the top floors of apartment blocks and started fires.
