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A U.S.-backed framework to end the Ukraine war — assembled by special envoy Steve Witkoff, with input through both Kyiv and Moscow channels — is stirring unease among European allies and putting fresh pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy, who has ruled out recognizing Russian sovereignty over Ukrainian land, delivered one of his starkest public messages yet, warning that Kyiv is entering “one of the most difficult moments in our history.”
In remarks released on Friday by Reuters, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is under intense pressure and may soon face what he called “a very difficult choice: either losing its dignity or risking the loss of a key partner. Either 28 difficult points or an extremely difficult winter — the most difficult one yet — and further risks. Life without freedom, without dignity, without justice. And we are expected to trust someone who has already attacked us twice.”
WITKOFF MEETS UKRAINE OFFICIALS IN NEW YORK AHEAD OF EMERGENCY UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING: ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE’
Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to remain disciplined as negotiations continue with Washington. “We will not make any loud statements; we will work calmly with America and all our partners,” he said. “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. That will not happen.”
Warning of intensified attempts to divide the country, he said Ukrainians should expect “a lot of pressure — political, informational and other kinds of pressure — to weaken us,” but vowed that “we have no right to allow that,” and insisted, “we will succeed.”
According to multiple outlets, a working draft would require Kyiv to cede the eastern Donbas region to Russia, limit long-range Western strikes inside Russia, and cap Ukraine’s armed forces at roughly 600,000 troops.
The White House says Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been “quietly working” on the plan and engaging both sides. President Donald Trump has been briefed and supports pushing to finalize the framework by the holidays.
Zelenskyy is preparing calls with Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as European leaders scramble to assess the proposal’s implications, after he held a call with U.S. Vice President Vance, source says.
Ukraine has formally received the document. Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the United States would “work on the provisions of the plan,” and that Kyiv is ready for “constructive, honest and swift work.” He has repeatedly ruled out recognizing Russian sovereignty over any Ukrainian territory, saying earlier there can be “no reward for waging war.”
“We are working to ensure that Ukraine’s national interests are taken into account at every level of our relations with partners,” Zelenskyy posted Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
ZELENSKYY SEEKS ‘STRONG REACTION’ FROM US IF PUTIN IS NOT READY FOR BILATERAL MEETING
A Ukrainian source told Fox News Digital that Kyiv’s red lines include limits on NATO membership, territorial concessions and troop cuts. The former senior Ukrainian official called the draft’s terms “political suicide” that would leave Zelenskyy responsible “for the loss of about one-fifth of Ukraine.”
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Washington and Moscow are not yet discussing the proposals in detail, but that contacts were taking place. “There are certain ideas on the American side, but nothing substantive is currently being discussed. We are completely open — we maintain our openness to peace negotiations,” Peskov told reporters.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz pressed for urgency during a Security Council briefing Thursday, saying diplomacy is “the only path to a durable and just peace.” Waltz said Washington has “proposed generous terms for Russia, including sanctions relief,” and vowed that “under President Trump’s leadership, the United States will continue to pursue a path to peace in Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, pushed back firmly during Thursday’s Security Council meeting, declaring that Kyiv would reject any settlement that compromises its sovereignty. “There will never be any recognition, formal or otherwise, of Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation as Russian. Our land is not for sale,” she said. Hayovyshyn stressed that “Ukraine will not accept any limits on its right to self-defense or on the size and capabilities of our armed forces, nor will we tolerate any infringement on our sovereignty, including our sovereign right to choose the alliances we want to join.”
European leaders were caught off guard. The Associated Press reported that the leaders of Germany, France and the U.K. spoke with Zelenskyy Friday to reaffirm their “unchanged and full support on the way to a lasting and just peace” as diplomats scrambled to parse a U.S. proposal many first learned about through the media. Bild said Merz canceled a domestic appearance to hold crisis calls with both Zelenskyy and Trump.
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Zelenskyy is expected to speak with Trump in the coming days to discuss the plan’s core points and Ukraine’s red lines.
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