Zelenskyy warns Ukraine faces ‘difficult choice’ as US peace plan hits major hurdle

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, said he will work “calmly” with America.” This is one of the most difficult moments in our history,” Zelenskyy said in a video address to the nation. “Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest. Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner,” he said according to a report in the Associated Press 

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. 

WITKOFF MEETS UKRAINE OFFICIALS IN NEW YORK AHEAD OF EMERGENCY UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING: ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is greeted by US President Donald Trump (L) upon arrival at the White House West Wing in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025. President Zelenskyy said today (Friday) Ukraine and the United States would “work on the provisions of the plan” and are ready for “constructive, honest and swift work.” (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynold / AFP via Getty Images))

Zelenskyy is preparing for a call with Trump and spoke with 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.

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.

ZELENSKYY SEEKS ‘STRONG REACTION’ FROM US IF PUTIN IS NOT READY FOR BILATERAL MEETING

President Donald Trump walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they arrive at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Aug. 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today (Friday) Russia has “not received anything officially” from Washington on the 28-point plan. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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 reportedly caught off guard by the proposals, with the Associated Press reporting 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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Firefighters work on the site of a burning building after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, early Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Zelenskyy is expected to speak with Trump in the coming days to discuss the plan’s core points and Ukraine’s red lines.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.