“They will expect an answer from us,” Zelenskyy said about the peace proposal. “Although in fact I have already given it,” he added, citing the oath he took when he entered office in 2019 to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty.
The leaked plan has intensified fears in Ukraine and European capitals that Washington is ready to chart its own diplomatic course, potentially favoring Russia while sidelining Kyiv and its European allies at a critical moment in the war.
“Americans are talking to Ukraine with a language of pressure. As the only option is to sign. If the Ukrainians don’t sign it, the United States will cut all the aid and intelligence sharing,” a senior European official told POLITICO after being granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic.
Zelenskyy stressed that Kyiv would work “quickly” and “24/7” to ensure that “among all the points of the plan, at least two are not missed … the dignity and freedom of Ukrainians.”
The Ukrainian leader also discussed Trump’s peace proposal with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday.
“The leaders value the efforts of the United States, President Trump, and his team aimed at ending this war, and are working on the document prepared by the American side. This must be a plan that ensures a real and dignified peace,” Zelenskyy’s office said in a statement.