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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said connected Friday (November 21, 2025) that Ukraine has to face the anticipation of losing its dignity oregon risking the nonaccomplishment of a cardinal spouse arsenic it figures retired however to respond to a U.S. bid proposal.
“This is 1 of the astir hard moments successful our history,” Mr. Zelenskyy said successful a video code to the nation.
“Currently, the unit connected Ukraine is 1 of the hardest. Ukraine whitethorn present look a precise hard choice, either losing its dignity oregon the hazard of losing a cardinal partner.”
The leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom spoke by telephone connected Friday (November 21, 2025) with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, assuring him of their continued enactment amid the war with Russia as European officials scrambled to respond to U.S. bid proposals that seemingly caught them unawares.
U.S. bid proposal
The U.S. program contains galore of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s longstanding demands, including Ukrainian territorial concessions, portion offering constricted information guarantees to Ukraine.
Wary of antagonizing U.S. President Donald Trump, the European and Ukrainian responses were cautiously worded and pointedly commended American bid efforts.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured Mr. Zelenskyy of “their unchanged and afloat enactment connected the mode to a lasting and conscionable peace” successful Ukraine, Mr. Merz’s bureau said.
The 4 leaders welcomed U.S. efforts to extremity the war. “In particular, they welcomed the committedness to the sovereignty of Ukraine and the readiness to assistance Ukraine coagulated information guarantees,” the connection added.
“They agreed to proceed pursuing the purpose of protecting captious European and Ukrainian interests successful the agelong term,” the connection said. “That includes the enactment of interaction being the constituent of departure for an statement and that the Ukrainian equipped forces indispensable stay successful a presumption to support the sovereignty of Ukraine effectively.”
Mr. Starmer said the close of Ukraine to “determine its aboriginal nether its sovereignty is simply a cardinal principle.”
European countries connected Ukraine-Russia conflict
European countries spot their ain futures astatine involvement successful Ukraine’s combat against Russia’s full-scale penetration and person insisted connected being consulted successful bid efforts.
“Russia’s warfare against Ukraine is an existential menace to Europe. We each privation this warfare to end. But however it ends matters,” EU overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas said successful Brussels. “Russia has nary ineligible close whatsoever to immoderate concessions from the state it invaded. Ultimately, the presumption of immoderate statement are for Ukraine to decide.”
The program foresees Ukraine handing implicit territory to Russia, thing Mr. Zelenskyy has repeatedly ruled out, reduces the size of it service and blocks its way to NATO membership.
Mr. Zelenskyy said the leaders discussed the program and appreciated the efforts of Mr. Trump and his team, though helium added that they are “working connected the document.”
“We are intimately coordinating to guarantee that the principled positions are taken into account,” Mr. Zelenskyy said successful a Telegram post.
The proposals travel astatine a hard clip for Mr. Zelenskyy, who is grappling with a propulsion connected the battlefield by Russia’s bigger service and a large domestic corruption scandal.
A European authorities authoritative said that the U.S. plans weren’t officially presented to Ukraine’s European backers.
Many of the proposals are “quite concerning,” the European authorities authoritative said, adding that a atrocious woody for Ukraine would besides beryllium a menace to broader European security.
The authoritative spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity arsenic they were not authorized to sermon the program publicly.
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she besides would telephone Mr. Zelenskyy to sermon the 28-point plan.
“Important is simply a cardinal rule we person ever upheld, and that is thing astir Ukraine without Ukraine,” she said astatine a G20 acme successful Johannesburg, South Africa.
European Council President Antonio Costa successful Johannesburg said of the U.S. proposals: “The European Union has not been communicated (about) immoderate plans successful (an) authoritative manner.”
Ukrainian officials said they were weighing the U.S. proposals, and Mr. Zelenskyy said helium expected to speech to Mr. Trump astir it successful coming days.
“We are afloat alert that America’s spot and America’s enactment tin genuinely bring bid closer, and we bash not privation to suffer that,” Mr. Zelenskyy said connected Telegram precocious connected Thursday.
The Kremlin offered a reserved reaction, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying that Moscow has not officially received the U.S. bid plan.
“No, we haven’t received thing officially. We’re seeing immoderate innovations. But officially, we haven’t received anything. And determination hasn’t been a substantive treatment of these points,” Mr. Peskov told reporters without elaborating further.
He claimed U.S.-Russian diplomatic contacts are “ongoing,” but “nothing substantive is presently being discussed.”
A U.S. squad began drafting up the program soon aft U.S. peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Rustem Umerov, a apical advisor to Mr. Zelenskyy, according to a elder Trump medication authoritative who was not authorized to remark publically and spoke connected the information of anonymity.
The authoritative added that Mr. Umerov agreed to astir of the plan, aft making respective modifications, and past presented it to Mr. Zelenskyy.
Mr. Umerov connected Friday denied that mentation of events. He said helium lone organized meetings and prepared the talks.
He said method talks betwixt the U.S. and Ukraine were continuing successful Kyiv. Ukrainian officials are “carefully studying each the partners’ proposals, expecting the aforesaid respectful cognition toward the Ukrainian position.”
“We are thoughtfully processing the partners’ proposals wrong the model of Ukraine’s unchanging principles — sovereignty, people’s security, and a conscionable peace,” helium said.
