Zelenskyy receives controversial U.S. peace plan, Europe calls it 'capitulation'
global.espreso.tv
Thu, 20 Nov 2025 19:42:00 +0200

Reuters reported the information.Zelenskyy's office confirmed Thursday that the president received the American proposal and expects to hold discussions with President Donald Trump "in the coming days" to address "key points required to achieve peace." The announcement comes as Washington has signaled to Kyiv that it must accept the U.S.-drafted framework, according to two sources.The plan, which has not been made public, would require Ukraine to cede additional territory beyond the nearly one-fifth of the country Russia currently occupies and accept partial disarmament of its armed forces—conditions that have drawn sharp criticism from European capitals."We are ready now, as before, to work constructively with the American side, as well as with our partners in Europe and around the world, so that the outcome is peace," Zelenskyy's office said in a statement.At a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday, officials indicated they would not support demands for punishing Ukrainian concessions. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was particularly blunt in his assessment."Ukrainians want peace - a just peace that respects everyone's sovereignty, a durable peace that can't be called into question by future aggression," Barrot said. "But peace cannot be a capitulation."The diplomatic push comes at a precarious moment for Ukraine. Russian forces are advancing on the eastern city of Pokrovsk, which would mark Moscow's first capture of a substantial city in nearly two years. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy's government has been weakened by a corruption scandal that led parliament to fire two cabinet ministers on Wednesday.Moscow downplayed the American initiative. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "consultations are not currently under way," though he acknowledged ongoing contacts. He reiterated that any peace agreement must address what Russia calls the "root causes of the conflict"—a phrase the Kremlin has long used to reference its demands.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would "continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides of this conflict," adding that "achieving a durable peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions."A U.S. Army delegation led by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Chief of Staff Randy George arrived in Kyiv and was expected to meet with Zelenskyy late Thursday. The delegation met with Ukraine's top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi on Wednesday, who argued that securing a just peace requires defending Ukraine's airspace, extending its deep-strike capabilities into Russia, and stabilizing the front line.On November 19, Axios reported that the White House is quietly working with Moscow on a comprehensive framework to end the war in Ukraine, drawing inspiration from the recent Gaza ceasefire deal.According to Reuters, the U.S. has signaled to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end the war with Russia that proposes Kyiv giving up territory and some weapons.The author of the Resurgam Telegram channel noted that the leaked details of a purported 28-point peace plan raise suspicions about the motives behind the disclosure and the credibility of sources involved in the negotiations.






