President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept his 28-point peace proposal by Thanksgiving, calling it a “good and necessary" deal to bring an end to the three-year-old Russia-Ukraine war.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said that if Zelensky rejects the plan, “he can fight his little heart out," but insisted the proposal remains open to negotiation. When asked whether the current draft was his “final offer," Trump replied, “No, we would like to get to peace… One way or another, we will get it ended." He again claimed that if he had been president in early 2022, “the war never would have happened."
Reports from Axios and The Washington Post have detailed key elements of the draft. According to Axios, the plan includes a security guarantee modeled on NATO’s Article 5, obligating the US and European allies to treat any attack on Ukraine as an attack on the broader transatlantic alliance.
Zelensky, addressing Ukrainians on Friday, signaled deep reservations about the proposal. He warned that Ukraine faces “a very tough choice either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner."
“Either a difficult 28-point plan, or an extremely difficult winter, the most difficult one and further risks ahead," he said. “A life without freedom, dignity, and justice, and being forced to trust someone who has already attacked us twice."
Trump has set Thursday as the deadline for Kyiv to respond, intensifying pressure on Ukraine as winter approaches and fighting continues in the east.
A joint statement issued at the G20 summit in South Africa signed by leaders from Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Germany, Norway and two senior EU officials warned that peace terms must uphold the principle that “borders must not be changed by force."
The signatories also raised alarm over proposed caps on Ukraine’s military that “would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack," and emphasised that any provisions relating to NATO or the EU would require approval from their respective members.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, attending the summit in Johannesburg, held calls with both Zelensky and Trump. Downing Street stated that Starmer relayed allies’ concerns and agreed that teams would work together on the proposal during Sunday’s Geneva talks.
The Prime Minister later said he was particularly troubled by restrictions on Ukraine’s military strength, insisting, “It’s fundamental that Ukraine has to be able to defend itself if there’s a ceasefire."
A 28-point proposal, drafted by US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev, seeks to end the war through a sweeping package of territorial, military, and political concessions. European governments, despite not seeing the document until now, had already criticised it as dangerously favourable to Russia.
The leaked draft plan calls for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region they still hold, while recognising de facto Russian control over Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea. It also proposes freezing front lines in the occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Under the plan, Ukraine’s military would be limited to 600,000 personnel, with European fighter jets based in neighbouring Poland. Kyiv would receive unspecified “reliable security guarantees," but the document also outlines a path for Russia’s reintegration into the global economy including the lifting of sanctions and its return to the G7, restoring the G8 format.
On Friday, Trump said Zelensky would “have to like" the proposals, warning that otherwise “Ukraine and Russia would continue fighting."
Zelensky, in a sombre address the same day, said Ukraine “might face a very difficult choice: either losing dignity, or risk losing a key partner," but pledged to work “constructively" with Washington. He later announced that his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, would lead Ukraine’s negotiating team for future talks.
Ukraine remains heavily reliant on US-supplied advanced weapons, air defence systems and intelligence support as Russia continues its offensive in the southeast.
Moreover, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio stated that the peace plan was drafted with inputs from both Russia and Ukraine.
Putin confirmed on Friday that Moscow had received the US plan, saying Russia was willing to “show flexibility" but was also ready to continue fighting if necessary.
Source: News18