President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday (November 21, 2025) that Ukraine has to confront the possibility of losing its dignity or risking the loss of a key partner as it figures out how to respond to a U.S. peace proposal.

“This is one of the most difficult moments in our history,” Mr. 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.”

The leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom spoke by phone on Friday (November 21, 2025) with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, assuring him of their continued support amid the war with Russia as European officials scrambled to respond to U.S. peace proposals that apparently caught them unawares.

U.S. peace proposal

The U.S. plan contains many of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s longstanding demands, including Ukrainian territorial concessions, while offering limited security guarantees to Ukraine.

Wary of antagonizing U.S. President Donald Trump, the European and Ukrainian responses were cautiously worded and pointedly commended American peace efforts.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured Mr. Zelenskyy of “their unchanged and full support on the way to a lasting and just peace” in Ukraine, Mr. Merz’s office said.

The four leaders welcomed U.S. efforts to end the war. “In particular, they welcomed the commitment to the sovereignty of Ukraine and the readiness to grant Ukraine solid security guarantees,” the statement added.

“They agreed to continue pursuing the aim of protecting vital European and Ukrainian interests in the long term,” the statement said. “That includes the line of contact being the point of departure for an agreement and that the Ukrainian armed forces must remain in a position to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine effectively.”

Mr. Starmer said the right of Ukraine to “determine its future under its sovereignty is a fundamental principle.”

European countries on Ukraine-Russia conflict

European countries see their own futures at stake in Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion and have insisted on being consulted in peace efforts.

“Russia’s war against Ukraine is an existential threat to Europe. We all want this war to end. But how it ends matters,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in Brussels. “Russia has no legal right whatsoever to any concessions from the country it invaded. Ultimately, the terms of any agreement are for Ukraine to decide.”

The plan foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia, something Mr. Zelenskyy has repeatedly ruled out, reduces the size of it army and blocks its route to NATO membership.

Mr. Zelenskyy said the leaders discussed the plan and appreciated the efforts of Mr. Trump and his team, although he added that they are “working on the document.”

“We are closely coordinating to ensure that the principled positions are taken into account,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.

The proposals come at a difficult time for Mr. Zelenskyy, who is grappling with a push on the battlefield by Russia’s bigger army and a major domestic corruption scandal.

A European government official said that the U.S. plans weren’t officially presented to Ukraine’s European backers.

Many of the proposals are “quite concerning,” the European government official said, adding that a bad deal for Ukraine would also be a threat to broader European security.

The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the plan publicly.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she also would call Mr. Zelenskyy to discuss the 28-point plan.

“Important is a key principle we have always upheld, and that is nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” she said at a G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

European Council President Antonio Costa in Johannesburg said of the U.S. proposals: “The European Union has not been communicated (about) any plans in (an) official manner.”

Ukrainian officials said they were weighing the U.S. proposals, and Mr. Zelenskyy said he expected to talk to Mr. Trump about it in coming days.

“We are fully aware that America’s strength and America’s support can truly bring peace closer, and we do not want to lose that,” Mr. Zelenskyy said on Telegram late on Thursday.

The Kremlin offered a reserved reaction, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that Moscow has not officially received the U.S. peace plan.

“No, we haven’t received anything officially. We’re seeing some innovations. But officially, we haven’t received anything. And there hasn’t been a substantive discussion of these points,” Mr. Peskov told reporters without elaborating further.

He claimed U.S.-Russian diplomatic contacts are “ongoing,” but “nothing substantive is currently being discussed.”

A U.S. team began drawing up the plan soon after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Rustem Umerov, a top adviser to Mr. Zelenskyy, according to a senior Trump administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The official added that Mr. Umerov agreed to most of the plan, after making several modifications, and then presented it to Mr. Zelenskyy.

Mr. Umerov on Friday denied that version of events. He said he only organized meetings and prepared the talks.

He said technical talks between the U.S. and Ukraine were continuing in Kyiv. Ukrainian officials are “carefully studying all the partners’ proposals, expecting the same respectful attitude toward the Ukrainian position.”

“We are thoughtfully processing the partners’ proposals within the framework of Ukraine’s unchanging principles — sovereignty, people’s security, and a just peace,” he said.

Published – November 21, 2025 09:04 pm IST

File picture of United States Vice-President J.D. Vance, second right, meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, third left, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany
| Photo Credit: AP

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said U.S. President Donald Trump was living in a Russian-made “disinformation space”, Vice President J.D. Vance on Wednesday (February 19, 2025) quickly admonished the Ukrainian about the perils of publicly criticising the new president.

Mr. Zelenskyy also said he would like Mr. Trump’s team “to be more truthful” as responded to a series of claims that Mr. Trump made a day earlier, including suggesting that Kyiv was to blame for the war, which enters its fourth year next week.

Mr. Vance told the Daily Mail that Mr. Zelenskyy’s criticism of Mr. Trump was not helping his cause.

“The idea that Zelenskyy is going to change the president’s mind by bad-mouthing him in public media, everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration,” Mr. Vance said.

Mr. Trump later said Mr. Zelenskyy should have worked out a deal earlier. “Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Vance and Mr. Zelenskyy met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, where the U.S. V-P said that the U.S. wants “lasting peace” in East Europe.

Mr. Zelenskyy had hailed a “good conversation”, saying the encounter with Mr. Vance was “our first meeting, not last, I’m sure”.

“We are ready to move as quickly as possible towards a real and guaranteed peace,” Mr. Zelenskyy later wrote on X, adding that an envoy from Washington would visit Kyiv.

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday (February 15, 2025) that he blocked a Donald Trump-led deal that would give the U.S. access to vast amounts of Ukrainian natural resources as it lacked “security guarantees” for Kyiv and “does not protect us”.

“I did not allow ministers to sign the agreement because it is not ready. In my opinion, it does not protect us. It is not ready to protect us, our interests,” Mr. Zelenskyy said during a briefing with reporters in Munich. He added the deal should be “connected with security guarantees” and that “I don’t see this connection in the document yet. It should be clear, it’s important”.

Zelenskyy warns U.S.

Mr. Zelenskyy on Saturday (February 15, 2025) insisted that no decisions should be taken on ending Russia’s war without Kyiv and Europe as the United States pushes to open talks with Moscow.

“No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine, no decisions about Europe without Europe. Europe must have a seat at the table,” Mr. Zelenskyy told the Munich Security Conference.

U.S. President Donald Trump blindsided Ukraine and its European allies by agreeing this week to meet Russia’s counterpart Vladimir Putin to start talks on ending the conflict.

Mr. Zelenskyy has urged Washington to come up with a “common plan” to confront Russia but suggested there was no joint stance after a meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Friday.

“We cannot just agree to a ceasefire without real security guarantees, without pressure on Russia, without a system to keep Russia in check,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.

Mr. Zelenskyy said that security guarantees needed to include powerful sanctions on Russia and measures to build up Ukraine’s army.

He said Kyiv was “open” to proposals to deploy European troops as peacekeepers on the ground but that he still needed to “discuss details” with his counterparts on the continent.

The Ukrainian leader said Washington appeared to be “preparing the atmosphere” for the dialogue between Trump and Putin.

But he warned that Mr. Putin would seek to use Mr. Trump as a “prop in his own performance” — possibly by trying to get him to Moscow for Russia’s WWII victory parade in May.

“We must apply pressure together — to make real peace,” Zelensky said.

“Putin cannot offer real security guarantees, not just because he is a liar but because Russia in its current state needs war to hold power together,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader said the Kyiv was still in the “process” of discussing a possible deal with Washington on granting access to rare earth deposits in return for security support.

In a broader message to Europe, Mr. Zelenskyy issued a rallying cry for the continent to “act for your own sake” as questions hover over U.S. backing in the face of the threat from Russia.

“Europe needs to come together and start acting in a way that no one can say no to Europe, boss it around, or treat it like a pushover,” he said, calling for a European army to be created.