Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is willing to work with the United States on a plan to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, despite opposition from European allies who say the US-backed plan favors Russia.
Zelensky’s office confirmed on Thursday that he had received a draft of the plan and that he would speak to US President Donald Trump in the coming days.
His office did not comment directly on the content of the plan, which has not been published, but the Ukrainian leader did “outline the fundamental principles that matter to our people”.
“In the coming days, the President of Ukraine hopes to discuss with President Trump existing diplomatic opportunities and key points necessary to achieve peace,” Zelensky’s office said.
Several media outlets reported that the 28-point plan included handing over territory and weapons to Ukraine. Citing an unnamed US official with “direct knowledge”, Axios reported that the plan would give Russia parts of eastern Ukraine that Moscow does not currently control, in exchange for a US security guarantee for Ukraine and Europe against future Russian aggression.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff have been quietly working on the plan for a month, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt confirmed on Thursday, getting input from both the Ukrainians and Russians on terms that are acceptable to each side.
He declined to comment on details of the emerging proposal, but said Trump has been briefed about it and supports it.
Levitt said, “This is a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine and we believe it should be acceptable to both sides. And we are working hard to make it happen.”
Zelensky later confirmed that he discussed the plan with US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll in Kiev.
“Our teams – Ukraine and the USA – will work on the points of the plan to end the war,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram without commenting directly on the plan. “We are creative, honest and ready to act quickly.”
It appeared that Russia was not attaching importance to any new American initiative.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “At the moment there are no consultations going on. Of course there are contacts, but there is no process that could be called consultations.”
While Zelensky has signaled he is willing to work with the Trump administration on a ceasefire, Kiev’s European allies have expressed skepticism.
“The Ukrainian people want peace – a just peace that respects everyone’s sovereignty, a durable peace that cannot be questioned by future aggression,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. “But peace cannot be surrender.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said any peace proposal would need the support of Europe and Ukraine to move forward, with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski saying Europe – whose security is “at stake” – expected consultations on any potential deal.
“I hope it’s not the victim who is restricted in his ability to defend himself, but the attacker,” he said.
Fighting continues despite peace talks
Zelensky faces pressure to join the US-backed diplomatic initiative as Ukrainian troops continue to suffer losses to Russian forces in the east of the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed in October that Russian forces had captured about 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles) of Ukrainian land this year.
On September 25, the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, independently estimated the real figure to be closer to 3,434 square km (1,325 sq mi).
Russia’s General Staff said on Thursday that Moscow’s forces had captured the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupyansk and controlled large parts of the cities of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk – a claim Ukraine vehemently denies.
“The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announces that Kupyansk is under the control of the Defense Forces of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in a bulletin late in the evening.
“The statements that 80 percent of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region has been captured and 70 percent of the city of Pokrovsk have been captured are also untrue.”
This week, a devastating Russian airstrike on Ternopil in western Ukraine killed at least 26 people and injured dozens of others, Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko confirmed on Thursday.
Zelensky said Thursday that 22 people were still missing at the site of Wednesday’s attack on Ternopil, when Moscow released 476 drones and 48 missiles across Ukraine. The attack damaged energy infrastructure in seven Ukrainian regions, leading to restrictions on electricity consumption across the country.
“Every brazen attack against normal life shows that pressure on Russia (to stop the war) is insufficient,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
The bombing coincided with Zelensky’s visit to Turkey, aimed at reviving peace talks with Russia following his European diplomatic mission.
“We rely on the strength of Turkish diplomacy, on (how) it is understood in Moscow,” Zelensky said after his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday.