Zelenskyy Says To Negotiate With Trump On Controversial Peace Plan As Deadly Strikes Intensify

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

MOSCOW/KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine’s embattled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will negotiate with U.S. President Donald J. Trump over a controversial U.S.-backed peace proposal, despite senior figures in Kyiv calling the plan “absurd” and “unacceptable.”

The draft emerged as Russia intensified airstrikes across Ukraine, including a barrage this week that killed 26 civilians, among them three children, in the western city of Ternopil, authorities said.

Zelenskyy’s office confirmed Thursday that the president had received the unpublished 28-point draft, reportedly prepared by U.S. and Russian officials, and that he would speak with Trump “in the coming days.”

The talks will focus on “diplomatic opportunities and the main points necessary for peace,” Zelenskyy’s office added.

In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said Ukraine “needs peace” but stressed Kyiv would not issue rash statements that might undermine diplomacy. “The number one task for everyone is a constructive diplomatic process with America and all our partners,” he said, adding that Ukraine also required steady military support for “planned defence operations and deep strikes.”

The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, is believed to have killed or injured more than one million people, according to Western estimates.

CONTROVERSIAL TERMS SPARK OUTRAGE IN KYIV

The cautious response contrasted sharply with reactions from several Ukrainian officials, who said the reported terms amounted to capitulation.

The draft, according to multiple sources, bears resemblance to the early-war demands made by Moscow in 2022. It would require Ukraine to surrender the Crimean Peninsula and the Donbas region, freeze the current frontlines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and limit its armed forces to 600,000 troops.

The plan also outlines a future ban on NATO troops in Ukraine and requests that Kyiv pledge never to join the military alliance.

In return, the U.S. would offer unspecified security guarantees, and $100 billion in frozen Russian assets would be allocated for rebuilding Ukraine.

Ukrainian lawmakers condemned the proposal as a threat to the nation’s sovereignty. Roman Kostenko, a Ukrainian commander and politician, said the plan “means capitulation for Ukraine, for Europe and for America.” In contrast, senior parliamentarian Oleksandr Merezhko said it showed “no sign” Russia was serious about peace.

HIGH-LEVEL U.S. VISIT AMID GROWING PRESSURE

Zelenskyy met Thursday with U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who led a high-level military and diplomatic delegation to Kyiv.

U.S. officials said Washington was pursuing an “aggressive timeline” for diplomatic talks, though the White House has not confirmed the contents of the leaked proposal.

European Union leaders expressed concern that the plan echoed Moscow’s demands and warned they had not been consulted.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said any viable agreement must include Ukraine and Europe “on board,” adding: “If Russia really wanted peace, it could have agreed to an unconditional ceasefire already some time ago.”

The British government said it supported efforts to “bring this barbaric war to an end,” while noting that “only the Ukrainian people can determine their future.”

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