Zelenskyy says Ukraine faces a stark choice and risks losing American
support over US peace plan
[November 22, 2025]
By ILLIA NOVIKOV and BARRY HATTON
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told his
country in an address Friday that it could face a pivotal choice between
standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support
it needs, as leaders discuss a U.S. peace proposal seen as favoring
Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, cautiously welcomed the
U.S. plan to end Moscow’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine, which
contains many of the Kremlin’s longstanding demands while offering
limited security guarantees to Ukraine. Putin said it “could form the
basis of a final peace settlement," while accusing Ukraine of opposing
the plan and being unrealistic.
The plan foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia — something
Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out — while reducing the size of its army and
blocking its coveted path to NATO membership.
Zelenskyy, in his address hours earlier, did not reject the plan
outright, but insisted on fair treatment while pledging to “work calmly”
with Washington and other partners in what he called “truly one of the
most difficult moments in our history.” He said he spoke for almost an
hour Friday with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Army Secretary Dan
Driscoll about the peace proposal.
“Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest,” Zelenskyy
said in the recorded speech. “Ukraine may now face a very difficult
choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.”
Speaking at a meeting of Russia’s National Security Council, Putin
called the plan “a new version” and “a modernized plan” of what was
discussed with the U.S. ahead of his Alaska summit with President Donald
Trump in August, and said Moscow has received it. “I believe that it,
too, could form the basis for a final peace settlement," he said.
But he said the "text has not been discussed with us in any substantive
way, and I can guess why,” adding that Washington has so far been unable
to gain Ukraine's consent. “Ukraine is against it. Apparently, Ukraine
and its European allies are still under illusions and dream of
inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield,” Putin said.
Trump says he wants Ukraine to respond within a week
Trump said Zelenskyy is going to have to come to terms with the U.S.
proposal, and if he doesn't, “they should just keep fighting, I guess.”
Asked by reporters about Zelenskyy saying his country faces a difficult
choice, Trump alluded to their tense meeting in February that led to a
brief rupture in the U.S.-Ukraine relationship: “You remember right in
the Oval Office not so long ago? I said you don’t have the cards.”
Trump in a radio interview earlier Friday said he wants an answer from
Zelenskyy on his 28-point plan by Thursday, but said an extension is
possible to finalize terms.
“I’ve had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend
to extend the deadlines,” Trump said in an interview on “The Brian
Kilmeade Show” on Fox News Radio. “But Thursday is it — we think an
appropriate time.”
While Zelenskyy has offered to negotiate with the U.S. and Russia, he
signaled Ukraine has to confront the possibility of losing American
support if it makes a stand.
He urged Ukrainians to “stop fighting” each other, in a possible
reference to a major corruption scandal that has brought fierce
criticism of the government, and said peace talks next week “will be
very difficult.”
Europe says it will keep supporting Ukraine
Zelenskyy 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 the U.S. proposals that
apparently caught them unawares.
Wary of antagonizing Trump, the European and Ukrainian leaders
cautiously worded their responses and pointedly commended American peace
efforts.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured Zelenskyy 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 U.S. 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.
[to top of second column]
|
In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of
Ukraine on Nov. 21, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
looks into the camera while delivering a video address to the nation
in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)
The line of contact must be the departure point for an agreement,
they said, and "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 the Russian 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."
Trump in his radio interview pushed back against the notion that the
settlement, which offers plentiful concessions to Russia, would
embolden Putin to carry out further malign action on his European
neighbors.
“He’s not thinking of more war," Trump said of Putin. "He’s thinking
punishment. Say what you want. I mean, this was supposed to be a
one-day war that has been four years now.”
A European government official said the U.S. plans weren’t
officially presented to Ukraine’s European backers.
Many of the proposals are “quite concerning,” the official said,
adding that a bad deal for Ukraine would also be a threat to broader
European security.
The official was not authorized to discuss the plan publicly and
spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
European Council President Antonio Costa, in Johannesburg, said of
the U.S. proposals, “The European Union has not been communicated
any plans in (an) official manner.”
Proposal meets with skepticism in the US Senate
“This so-called ‘peace plan’ has real problems, and I am highly
skeptical it will achieve peace,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, the
Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Ukraine
should not be forced to give up its lands to one of the world’s most
flagrant war criminals in Vladimir Putin.”
Wicker added that Ukraine should be allowed to determine the size of
its military and Putin should not be rewarded with assurances from
the U.S.
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, who serves on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, said there’s “general concern and alarm that
this is a Russian wish list proposal.”
Ukraine examines the proposals
Ukrainian officials said they were weighing the U.S. proposals, and
Zelenskyy said he expected to talk to Trump about it in coming days.
A U.S. team began drawing up the plan soon after U.S. special envoy
Steve Witkoff held talks with Rustem Umerov, a top adviser to
Zelenskyy, 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 Zelenskyy.
However, Umerov on Friday denied that version of events. He said he
only organized meetings and prepared the talks.
He said technical talks between the U.S. and Ukraine were continuing
in Kyiv.
“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.
___
Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal. Harriet Morris in Tallinn,
Estonia, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Angela Charlton in Paris, Pan Pylas
in London, and Aamer Madhani in Washington also contributed
reporting.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
