Standing outside his presidential office in Kyiv tonight, on the same spot as on the second day of Ukraine’s full-scale war with Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Ukrainians. He said he hadn’t betrayed the country then and wouldn’t do so now. Ukraine faces ‘one of the most difficult moments in our history’, he said, while the Trump administration presses it into a deal with Russia. The US, once Ukraine’s biggest ally, has issued an ultimatum: either Zelensky signs the framework of the 28-point peace plan drawn up by Washington and the Kremlin by next Thursday, or Trump will cut intelligence-sharing and weapons supplies for Ukraine.
The pressure on Ukraine right now is among the heaviest. Ukraine may now find itself facing a very difficult choice: either a loss of dignity, or the risk of losing its key partner; either the complicated 28 points, or an extremely hard winter – the hardest – and further risks. A life without freedom, without dignity, without justice. And for us to believe someone who has already attacked twice. They will be expecting an answer from us.
Zelensky is seeking support from Ukrainians during these decisive negotiations
Zelensky’s speech comes not only as he is being pressured to sign an agreement tailored to Vladimir Putin’s wishes, but also on Ukraine’s Day of Dignity and Freedom. Kyiv is being told to accept the deal on this aggressive timeline while the Trump administration tries to take advantage of the sprawling corruption scandal in the Ukrainian energy sector that has sown discord inside Zelensky’s government. Russian forces, meanwhile, edge closer to capturing the eastern cities of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.
Zelensky declared that he will stay committed to his election vow to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence and will fight for a better deal, hopefully with Europe by his side, during next week’s negotiations. He warned that after nearly four years of holding back one of the world’s largest armies under constant missile and drone attacks, the world must remember Ukrainians are, above all, human, and still need support.
We are, of course, made of steel. But any metal, even the strongest, can break. Do not forget this. Stand with Ukraine, stand with our people – and therefore stand with dignity and freedom.
The peace plan, drafted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and the Kremlin’s chief negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, repeats the same old Russian demand that Ukrainian forces must withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region they still control. Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk will be recognised as de facto Russian. The size of the Ukrainian army must be cut in half and Russian must be recognised as an official language. The European fighter jets Ukraine received will be moved to Poland. Ukraine’s constitution will be changed to say that the country will not join Nato and the alliance will be banned from stationing peacekeeping troops in Ukraine. Russia will receive full amnesty for its war crimes, along with other concessions Zelensky is being asked to make. Putin’s concession will seemingly be ordering his troops to stop murdering Ukrainians.
For its role in brokering the deal, the US will take 50 per cent of the profits from £76 billion of frozen Russian assets, which will then be used for reconstruction projects in Ukraine. Trump’s eagerness to profit from rebuilding the wartorn country looks spectacularly cynical given that, since the start of the invasion in 2022, Ukraine has suffered more than £450 billion in damage. Washington claims that the peace plan will grant Ukraine Nato-style security guarantees, which are set to last for ten years with the option of renewal. Yet, in its current form, the agreement does not oblige the US to provide direct military assistance. In Ukraine, the offer is widely seen as a shameful attempt to convince Zelensky to sign the peace deal sooner.
With his alarming and grim speech, Zelensky is seeking support from Ukrainians during these decisive negotiations – despite the corruption scandals raging at home. For most Ukrainians, surviving the Russian aggression comes first, and they won’t tolerate any government that tries to surrender land that Putin couldn’t capture, with hundreds of thousands of people still living there. In the coming days, Kyiv will prepare its own peace proposals with European allies, arguing that any settlement must safeguard Ukraine’s sovereignty and use the current frontline as the baseline for negotiations. Zelensky will present his counterpoints to Trump next week. ‘I am addressing all Ukrainians now,’ Zelensky said:
We need to pull ourselves together. Come to our senses. Stop the bickering. Stop the political games… All of us together must not forget and must not confuse who exactly is the enemy of Ukraine today. We did not betray Ukraine then, and we will not do so now. And I know for certain that in this truly one of the hardest moments in our history, I am not alone.
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