The Epoch Times Europe - Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Faces ‘Difficult’ Crossroads as It Weighs Trump’s 28-Point Peace Plan - Tom Ozimek Reporter 11/21/2025|Updated: 11/21/2025

 The Epoch Times 

Europe

Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Faces ‘Difficult’ Crossroads as It Weighs Trump’s 28-Point Peace Plan

Zelenskyy said Ukraine may face a choice between ‘loss of dignity’ or losing key U.S. support.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a parliament session in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 17, 2025. AP Photo/Vadym Sarakhan

Tom Ozimek

Reporter

11/21/2025|Updated: 11/21/2025

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Nov. 21 that his country is facing “one of the most difficult moments in our history,” using a nationally televised address to say that Kyiv is under extraordinary pressure to accept a 28-point U.S. peace proposal that would remake Ukraine’s security posture, redraw territorial lines, and permanently bar NATO membership.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is under “the heaviest pressure we have faced,” telling his compatriots that the country may be pushed toward adopting 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.”

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 Trump administration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Epoch Times in a statement that the framework was designed 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.

A delegation of senior U.S. military officials met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Nov. 20 to discuss steps toward a peace deal.

The U.S. ambassador in Kyiv and the Army public affairs chief traveling with the delegation described the meetings with Ukrainian officials as a success, telling Reuters the United States is seeking an “aggressive timeline” for Kyiv to sign off on the agreement.

President Donald Trump himself appeared to confirm that timeline during an interview on Brian Kilmeade’s radio program, calling next Thursday—Thanksgiving—an appropriate target date for Zelenskyy to accept the ceasefire framework.

“I’ve had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines,” Trump said. “But Thursday ... we think is an appropriate time.”

What’s in the 28-Point Plan?

While the full text of the proposal has not been officially released, leaked drafts circulated among Ukrainian lawmakers and published by The Associated Press outline a sweeping set of obligations and concessions.

The plan was drafted by Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who, according to the White House, worked on the framework “quietly” for the past month.

The first points affirm Ukraine’s sovereignty and call for a comprehensive non-aggression pact between Ukraine, Russia, and Europe, alongside an expectation that Russia will halt military aggression against its neighbors.

A difficult-to-stomach requirement for Kyiv is that Ukraine permanently abandon its NATO aspirations by embedding neutrality into its constitution, while NATO formally codifies that it will never admit Ukraine in the future.

The plan would also cap Ukraine’s armed forces at 600,000 troops and require Kyiv to accept Russia’s de-facto control over Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk. The front line in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would be frozen, meaning Kyiv would acknowledge Moscow’s occupation along current positions. Ukraine would, however, retain the possibility of joining the European Union if it meets accession criteria.

Economically, the framework envisions a large-scale reconstruction program—funded by $100 billion in European contributions and another $100 billion from frozen Russian assets—and a pathway for Russia to rejoin the global economy, including a return to the G8. Sanctions on Moscow would be lifted in phases tied to compliance.

A senior U.S. official told The Epoch Times that the 28-point peace plan was drafted after consultations with Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, and that he had agreed to a majority of the points and presented it to Zelenskyy.

Umerov has offered a more nuanced characterization of the meeting, saying in a statement on Telegram that his role during the discussions with U.S. officials was “purely technical” and he had no authority to approve any element of the proposal. He added in a follow-up post that consultations continue in Kyiv over the 28-point peace plan.

“We discussed approaches to restoring a just peace, the sequence of next steps, and realistic formats for further dialogue,” Umerov said.

“Ukraine is carefully studying every proposal from our partners and clearly articulating its own position. No decisions exist—or can exist—beyond the limits of our sovereignty, the security of our people, and our red lines.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday weighed in on the U.S. proposal for peace in Ukraine, telling senior officials in televised comments that the plan could be the basis for a resolution of the conflict.

“I believe that it can be used as the basis for a final peaceful settlement,” Putin said, adding that Moscow has seen the plan but that it has not yet been discussed in detail with Russia.

Putin said Russian forces are continuing their advance in Ukraine and will continue to press forward unless Ukraine agrees to a peace deal.