Poland Warns Against Pressuring Ukraine Into U.S.-Drafted Peace Deal With Russia (Worthy News In-Depth)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

WARSAW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Polish President Karol Nawrocki said Saturday that any peace plan for Ukraine must be decided in Kyiv, after the U.S. signaled it would press President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a deal to end the war with Russia.

Washington’s 28-point plan calls on Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military, and renounce ambitions to join the NATO military alliance. It also contains proposals that Moscow may object to, and requires Russian forces to withdraw from certain captured areas, according to a draft.

Zelenskyy said overnight that Ukraine faces “one of the most difficult moments in its history,” as President Donald J. Trump demanded that Kyiv accept a U.S.-backed “peace plan” forcing it to give up territory and accept painful concessions.

Agreeing to the U.S.-Russian draft could leave Ukraine “without freedom, dignity and justice,” Zelenskyy warned. Yet rejecting it, U.S. officials said, could mean losing crucial American support.

European leaders, appearing alarmed and off balance, agreed with Zelenskyy that the leaked U.S. proposal resembled “everything Russia would want” in a grinding war entering its fourth winter.

EUROPE REACTS TO U.S. PRESSURE

European leaders and allied nations issued a cautious joint statement at the Group of 20 summit in South Africa, saying the U.S. plan needed “additional work.”

It was a hurried effort to slow-walk a Trump administration seen as determined to give concessions to Russia and impose terms before Thanksgiving. European officials struggled to agree on language addressing a deal offering land concessions to Russia, capping Ukraine’s army, blocking its future NATO membership, and saddling the European Union with reconstruction.

“The draft is a basis which will require additional work,” the statement read. It opened with muted praise before stressing that “important elements” remained unresolved. “We will continue to coordinate closely with Ukraine and the U.S. over the coming days.”

European leaders, joined by Group of Seven members Canada and Japan, pushed back firmly against any plan shrinking Ukraine’s borders or limiting its armed forces to 600,000 personnel.

In private discussions, officials warned the proposal risked “rewarding aggression” and undermining Europe’s post-Cold War security architecture.

ZELENSKYY’S NIGHT ADDRESS ON UKRAINE’S POSITION

In his evening televised address, Zelenskyy declared: “Real peace is always based on guaranteed security and justice.” He stressed that Ukraine’s negotiators “know how to protect Ukraine’s national interests, and what exactly is needed to prevent Russia from carrying out a third invasion.”

He said Ukraine now faced “a very difficult choice … between losing our dignity or losing a key partner,” hinting at mounting U.S. pressure.

Zelenskyy vowed that Ukraine would present counterproposals and “alternatives” that preserved sovereignty rather than accept forced concessions.

Ukrainian diplomats privately warned Western partners that “a dictated peace” could fracture the country politically and militarily.

Reports from Washington indicate the U.S. may threaten to reduce intelligence sharing and other critical support if Kyiv refuses to enter talks under U.S. terms.

‘YOU DON’T HAVE THE CARDS’

Trump intensified pressure this week, reminding reporters of what he had told Zelenskyy during a previous turbulent meeting in the Oval Office: “You don’t have the cards. With us, you start having cards.”

He added: “He’ll have to like it, and if he doesn’t like it, then, you know, they should just keep fighting, I guess.”

Trump has also argued that Europe has not done enough to support Ukraine and has accused EU states of relying too heavily on U.S. assistance while contributing less themselves.

A senior European military official said Trump’s language amounted to “public coercion,” adding: “We’ve never seen this in alliance politics.”

MIAMI MEETING OF US-RUSSIAN ENVOYS

Ukrainian and U.S. envoys were to meet in Switzerland on Sunday, along with European security chiefs, to discuss Washington’s plan for ending the war with Russia, officials said, after Kyiv pushed back on proposals seen as favorable to Moscow.

Earlier U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, reportedly met in Miami at the end of October 2025 to craft the 28-point U.S. draft plan for ending the war in Ukraine.

The Miami meeting apparently included senior U.S. officials and Dmitriev, despite Dmitriev being under U.S. sanctions.

People familiar with the discussions said the framework produced in Miami strongly shaped the current U.S. proposal now being pushed on Kyiv and Europe.

The quiet Florida talks have raised questions among European diplomats about transparency and whether key allies were sidelined during the early drafting of the plan.

POLAND’S WARNING AND ROAD AHEAD

Poland says any peace agreement must not be imposed from outside, warning that pushing Ukraine into concessions could embolden Russia.

Warsaw stressed that Ukraine has been fighting for all of Europe and that forcing a settlement could destabilize NATO’s eastern flank.

Diplomats fear that if Kyiv rejects the plan and Washington limits support, Russia may try to exploit the situation with intensified military operations.

European nations are now scrambling to produce a counter-proposal more acceptable to Kyiv, though time appears to be running short.

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