Ukraine faces losing dignity or US support with Trump’s plan to end war, Zelensky says
By Svitlana Vlasova and Catherine Nicholls, CNN
Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN) — Ukraine is at “one of the most difficult moments” of its history, the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, warning that a US plan for ending the war widely seen as favoring Russia would mean his country losing its dignity or a key ally.
The 28-point plan put forward by US President Donald Trump puts pressure on Kyiv to cede territory, limit the size of its military and promise not to join NATO in exchange for an end to the war, all long-standing Kremlin demands.
“The pressure on Ukraine is now at its most intense. Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner, or 28 difficult points, or an extremely harsh winter,” Zelensky said in his daily video address.
Ukraine will “work calmly” and quickly with the US and its partners towards an end to the war, Zelensky said.
A number of European leaders have spoken out in support of Ukraine since the details of Trump’s proposal were released, vowing to stand by Kyiv and insisting that no decisions should be made about the fate of the country without its input.
In a joint call with Zelensky earlier on Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “agreed to continue to pursue the goal of safeguarding vital European and Ukrainian interests in the long term.”
This includes “ensuring that the line of contact is the starting point for an understanding and that the Ukrainian armed forces remain capable of effectively defending Ukraine’s sovereignty,” a German government press office statement.
Zelensky said he was relying on his “European friends,” for their support.
Zelensky: I will not betray Ukraine
Trump appears to be giving Russia almost everything it wants, with much of the text resembling the maximalist positions Moscow held during talks in Istanbul in 2022, shortly after the invasion and when its forces held more of Ukraine.
Like the proposal the Trump administration crafted which led to the ceasefire in Gaza, the Ukraine plan reads as bullet-pointed list, laying out commitments each side would make in order to drive a lasting end to the conflict.
The Ukraine plan – which has been seen by CNN – calls for a halt to fighting, global funding for reconstruction and a board overseeing the commitments led by the US President. The draft plan’s veracity was confirmed by a US official.
Many of the ideas put forward in the 28-point plan have been rejected in previous negotiations.
The plan would have Russia-occupied Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk be recognized “as de facto Russian, including by the United States,” something seen as a red line in Kyiv.
The plan calls for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from the parts of eastern Donetsk that they currently control, “and this withdrawal zone will be considered a neutral demilitarized buffer zone, internationally recognized as territory belonging to the Russian Federation.”
Zelensky said that he would work around the clock to find a path forward on the plan, while saying he would not betray his country.
“I will present arguments, I will persuade, I will offer alternatives, but we will definitely not give the enemy any reason to say that Ukraine does not want peace, that it is disrupting the process, and that Ukraine is not ready for diplomacy,” Zelensky continued.
This story has been updated.
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