Zelensky Expresses Concerns Over US Peace Plan Amidst Rising Tensions

Sat Nov 22 2025 04:54:09 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns that Kyiv may risk losing crucial US support based on the proposed peace plan to resolve the ongoing conflict with Russia, as domestic and international pressures mount.

In a recent address, President Zelensky highlighted the potential risks Ukraine faces regarding US support over a controversial peace plan proposed by the White House. This plan includes conditions that could undermine Ukraine's sovereignty, leading Zelensky to caution about navigating the difficult terrain between maintaining national dignity and the necessity for international alliance. With tensions rising and differing views on the peace strategy, both Ukraine and Russia are assessing their positions amidst this complex geopolitical situation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Kyiv risks losing US support over a White House plan on how to end the war with Russia.

Addressing the nation on Friday, Zelensky said Ukraine might face a very difficult choice: either losing dignity, or risk losing a key partner, adding that today is one of the most difficult moments in our history.

The widely leaked US peace plan includes proposals that Kyiv had previously ruled out: ceding eastern areas it now controls, significantly cutting its army size, and pledging not to join NATO.

These provisions are seen as heavily slanted towards Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin said the plan could be a basis for peace settlement.

At Friday's meeting with his security cabinet, Putin said Moscow had received the plan, which had not been discussed with the Kremlin in detail. He said Russia was willing to show flexibility but was also prepared to fight on.

Later in the day, US President Donald Trump said Zelensky would have to like the plan, adding that otherwise Ukraine and Russia would continue fighting.

Ukraine is critically dependent on deliveries of US-made advanced weaponry, including air defense systems to repel deadly Russian air assaults, as well as intelligence provided by Washington. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In his 10-minute address in front of the presidential office in Kyiv, Zelensky warned that Ukraine would face a lot of pressure... to weaken us, to make divide us, adding that the enemy is not sleeping.

Urging Ukrainians to stay united, he stressed that the country's national interest must be taken into account. Zelensky also said he had been reassured of continuous support during a phone call with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

After the talks, Starmer stressed that the principle that Ukraine must determine its future under its sovereignty is a fundamental principle.

Separately, Zelensky stated he had spoken for almost an hour with US Vice-President JD Vance and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, adding that Ukraine always respected President Trump’s efforts to end the war.

In Washington, Trump warned that Ukraine would lose more territory to Russia in a short amount of time. He expressed it was appropriate to set a deadline of 27 November for Ukraine to agree to the peace deal but added that the timelines could be extended if things were going well.

Speaking at the White House later on Friday, the US president said we think we have a way of getting peace, adding that Zelensky is going to have to approve it.

Washington has been pressing Kyiv to quickly accept the plan, and sent senior Pentagon officials to the Ukrainian capital earlier this week.

On Thursday, Putin sounded determined to continue the war despite reported heavy Russian combat casualties.

We have our tasks, our goals, the Kremlin leader told his army commanders. The chief one is the unconditional achievement of the aims of the special military operation [full-scale war].

The 28-point US peace plan emerged as Russia claims small territorial gains in southeastern Ukraine, while Zelensky faces a domestic crisis implicating top officials in a $100m corruption scandal.

The White House has pushed back against claims that Ukraine was excluded from drafting the proposal, following meetings between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev.

An unnamed US official told CBS News that the plan was drawn up immediately following discussions with Ukraine's top security official Rustem Umerov, who agreed to the majority of it.

The leaked draft proposes Ukrainian troops' withdrawal from the part of the eastern Donetsk region that they currently control, and de facto Russian control of Donetsk, as well as the neighboring Luhansk region and the southern Crimea peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. The plan limits Ukraine's military to 600,000 personnel, with European fighter jets stationed in neighboring Poland.

Ukrainians both under and free of Russian occupation have expressed defiance in response to the US proposal, with many feeling it compromises Ukraine's sovereignty and future.