Zelensky cautions that Ukraine may face a loss of US backing due to the White House’s peace initiative.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has cautioned that Kyiv is at risk of losing American backing due to a White House strategy concerning the resolution of the conflict with Russia.

In a national address on Friday, Zelensky remarked that Ukraine “may confront a very challenging decision: either sacrificing our dignity or jeopardizing a crucial ally”, highlighting that “today marks one of the gravest periods in our timeline”.

The extensively circulated US peace proposal outlines terms that Kyiv had initially dismissed: surrendering eastern territories under its control, drastically reducing its military forces, and committing to refrain from joining NATO.

These conditions are perceived as disproportionately favoring Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin has indicated that the proposal could serve as a “foundation” for a peace agreement.

During a Friday gathering with his security team, Putin stated that Moscow had received the proposal, which had not been thoroughly reviewed with the Kremlin. He noted that Russia was prepared to “exhibit flexibility” but was also ready to continue the fight.

Later that day, US President Donald Trump asserted that Zelensky would “have to find favor” with the plan, adding that otherwise, Ukraine and Russia would persist in their hostilities.

Ukraine relies heavily on US-supplied advanced weaponry, including air defense systems to fend off deadly Russian air strikes, as well as intelligence shared by Washington.

Russia commenced a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In his 10-minute speech before the presidential office in Kyiv, Zelensky warned that Ukraine would encounter “significant pressure… to weaken us, to divide us”, asserting that “the adversary is not inactive”.

Encouraging unity among Ukrainians, he emphasized that the nation’s “core interests must be prioritized”.

“We’re not delivering loud declarations,” he continued, “we’ll be systematically collaborating with America and all partners… proposing alternatives” to the suggested peace framework.

Zelensky also mentioned that he received assurances of ongoing support during a conversation with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Sir Keir stated late on Friday that Ukraine’s allies are steadfast in their commitment to achieving “a fair and enduring peace once and for all”.

Ahead of the G20 summit, starting on Saturday in South Africa, the prime minister remarked that he and other global leaders would “examine the current proposal on the table, and in support of President Trump’s initiative for peace, explore how we can enhance this plan for the following phase of talks”.

Trump is not participating in the event due to widely dismissed assertions of white persecution in the nation.

In addition, Zelensky noted that he had engaged in a conversation “for nearly an hour” with US Vice-President JD Vance and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, conveying that Ukraine “has always honored” Trump’s efforts to resolve the conflict.

In Washington, Trump warned that Ukraine would concede additional territory to Russia “quickly”.

He stated it was “reasonable” to give Ukraine until 27 November – Thanksgiving in the US – to agree to the peace terms, but indicated that timelines could be adjusted if circumstances were “favorable”.

Addressing the press at the White House on Friday, the US president remarked “we believe we have a method for achieving peace”, adding that Zelensky “must endorse it”.

Washington has been urging Kyiv to swiftly accept the proposal, and dispatched senior Pentagon officials to the Ukrainian capital earlier this week.

On Thursday, Putin expressed a firm intent to persist with the offensive despite reports of significant Russian military casualties.

“We have our objectives, our missions,” the Kremlin leader, clad in military attire, informed his military commanders. “The foremost one is the unconditional fulfillment of the goals of the special military operation [comprehensive war].”

The 28-point US peace initiative arose as Russia claims minor territorial advances in southeastern Ukraine, while Zelensky confronts a domestic turmoil involving high-ranking officials in a $100 million (£76 million) corruption scandal.

The White House has countered allegations that Ukraine was excluded from the development of the proposal, following dialogues between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev.

An anonymous US representative informed CBS News, a partner of the BBC in the US, that the scheme was formulated “immediately” after consultations with Ukraine’s top security director Rustem Umerov, who approved most of its terms.

Umerov is said to have implemented various revisions before presenting it to Zelensky.

The leaked outline suggests the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from areas in the eastern Donetsk region they presently oversee, and the effective Russian domination of Donetsk, alongside the adjacent Luhansk region and the southern Crimea peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

The proposal also entails freezing the borders of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions along the existing conflict lines. Both areas remain partly occupied by Russia.

The US framework further restricts Ukraine’s military capabilities to 600,000 personnel, with European fighter jets stationed in neighboring Poland.

Kyiv is expected to receive “dependable security assurances”, the proposal indicates, although specific details have not been disclosed. The document anticipates that Russia will refrain from invading its neighbors and that NATO will not expand further.

The draft additionally proposes that Russia be “reintegrated into the global marketplace”, through the lifting of sanctions and by inviting Russia to rejoin the G7 group of the most influential nations – restoring it to the G8 status.

Ukrainians under both Russian control and those who are free expressed a resolute stance in response to the revelation of the US plan.

In Kyiv, the spouse of a Ukrainian soldier remarked to the BBC: “This isn’t a peace agreement; it’s a strategy to prolong the war.”

Another individual from the occupied regions in Ukraine told the BBC: “I’m striving to maintain my sanity amidst persistent propaganda that claims Ukraine has forsaken us. I hope they won’t endorse this.”

Currently, Russia controls around 20% of Ukrainian territory, and its troops have been making gradual progress along the extensive front line, despite reports of considerable losses.