By Tom Ozimek
Contributing Writer
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Ukraine is facing “one of the most difficult moments in our history,” responding to a U.S. 28-point peace plan that could require Kyiv to accept permanent NATO non-alignment, strict limits on its armed forces, and de-facto recognition of Russian control over Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.
In a video address to the nation, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is under “the heaviest pressure we have faced,” telling his compatriots that the country may be pushed toward accepting an agreement that could mean accepting hard-to-stomach terms to secure peace.
“Either a loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner,” he said, referring to the United States. “Either accepting a difficult 28-point plan, or entering an extremely hard winter — the hardest yet — with further risks beyond it. A life without freedom, without dignity, without justice. And we would be asked to trust the one who has already attacked us twice.”
Zelenskyy said he would offer alternatives to some of the most contentious points of the 28-point proposal in round-the-clock talks with the United States and Europe, while vowing not to betray his oath to defend Ukraine’s independence.
“Among all the points of the plan, at least two must not be overlooked — Ukrainian dignity and Ukrainian freedom,” he said. “We must do everything so that what happens next is the end of the war — and not the end of Ukraine.”
While details of the 28-point plan have not been released publicly, the proposal itself has been confirmed by the White House. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the framework was crafted to provide “full security guarantees and deterrence for Ukraine, Europe and Russia” and to create “financial opportunities for Ukraine to rebuild, and for Russia to rejoin the global economy.”
“This plan was crafted to reflect the realities of the situation, after years of a devastating war, to find the best win-win scenario, where both parties gain more than they must give,” Leavitt said.
According to a version of the 28-point proposal shared publicly by Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko and obtained by The Associated Press, Ukraine is being asked to make permanent its non-alignment with NATO, accept strict limits on the size of its armed forces, and acknowledge Russia’s de-facto control over Crimea and parts of the Donbas region.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that Russia has not officially received the 28-point peace plan and that Russia remains committed to the principles agreed during an August summit in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Peskov added that Moscow is aware that some wording of the framework agreed in Alaska “may have been revised” and that Russia waits to be formally presented with the proposal for “concrete” discussions.
This is a developing story.
