Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Kyiv risks losing vital US backing if it refuses a widely leaked White House peace blueprint for ending the war with Russia. Speaking on Dignity and Freedom Day outside the presidential office in Kyiv, he said Ukraine faces “one of the most difficult” moments and may confront “a very difficult choice: either losing dignity, or risk losing a key partner.” He urged national unity and said officials would quietly work with the US and other allies to propose alternative approaches.
The leaked 28-point draft outlines measures Ukraine has previously rejected. It calls for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from parts of Donetsk currently under Kyiv’s control, effectively ceding Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea to Russia, and freezing Kherson and Zaporizhzhia along current front lines. The document would also limit Ukraine’s military to roughly 600,000 personnel, propose stationing European fighter jets in Poland, offer unspecified “reliable security guarantees,” and presume no further NATO expansion. It further suggests steps to reintegrate Russia into the global economy, including lifting sanctions and inviting Moscow back into the G7.
The proposal is widely viewed as advantageous to Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia had received the plan and might use it as a “basis” for a settlement, telling military commanders that Moscow would “show flexibility” while remaining prepared to continue operations. Wearing a military uniform, he reiterated Moscow’s aim of achieving the objectives of its so-called “special military operation.”
US President Donald Trump urged Zelensky to accept the plan, saying the Ukrainian leader “is going to have to approve it” and naming 27 November — the US Thanksgiving — as a suggested deadline, while leaving open the possibility of an extension. Trump warned Kyiv it could lose additional territory “in a short amount of time” if it did not agree.
Ukraine depends heavily on advanced US weapons, air-defence systems and intelligence, making Washington’s support critical to Kyiv’s defence. The White House has denied sidelining Kyiv in the drafting process. US officials say the document emerged after talks that involved Ukraine’s security chief, Rustem Umerov, who reportedly agreed to much of the content and proposed amendments before presenting it to Zelensky. US special envoy Steve Witkoff is reported to have met his Russian counterpart, Kirill Dmitriev, during the process.
Zelensky said calls with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reassured him that support would continue. Sir Keir said allies were committed to securing “a just and lasting peace” and would discuss how to strengthen the proposal at the upcoming G20 summit.
Public reaction in Ukraine was largely defiant. Voices from government-held and occupied areas criticised the draft: a Kyiv widow called it “a plan to continue the war,” and someone in an occupied territory expressed hope it would not be signed. Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory; its forces have made only slow gains amid reports of heavy casualties.