US drafts Ukraine-Russia peace plan without Zelenskyy'S full knowledge; EU countries asks is that even fair? - Punjabi News US drafts Ukraine-Russia peace plan without Zelenskyy'S full knowledge; EU countries asks is that even fair?

Published on: 21 Nov 2025 at 12:22 PM

US drafts Ukraine-Russia peace plan without Zelenskyy’S full knowledge; EU countries asks is that even fair?

Published by: Fact News

Fact News Service

Chandigarh, November 21: The United States has formally presented a sweeping 28-point draft peace plan to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, proposing a framework aimed at rapidly ending the nearly four-year-long war with Russia. The proposal, drafted without Ukraine’s participation, has sparked immediate concern in Kyiv and among European leaders, while Zelenskyy has neither endorsed nor rejected the draft.

According to people familiar with the document, the plan could include Ukraine ceding the eastern Donbas region and reducing the size of its armed forces in exchange for American security guarantees. US officials, however, stressed that any eventual agreement would require compromises from both Moscow and Kyiv, not just Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president is expected to speak with US President Donald Trump in the coming days, a conversation seen as highly consequential given Ukraine’s heavy dependence on American military and financial support.

Zelenskyy, after meeting a senior US military delegation in Kyiv on Thursday, said he was prepared for “constructive, honest and swift work” with Washington to explore the proposal. While his office confirmed its receipt and emphasised that Kyiv remains committed to pursuing a “just peace” in coordination with the US and European partners.

European capitals reacted cautiously, signalling deep unease over a plan that appears to demand significant Ukrainian concessions with no clear reciprocal commitments from Russia. France reiterated that “peace cannot be a capitulation,” while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted the absence of evidence that Moscow is being pressed to offer parallel compromises.

European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels earlier in the day did not comment in detail about the US plan, but indicated they would not accept demands for Kyiv to make punishing concessions.

“Ukrainians want peace – a just peace that respects everyone’s sovereignty, a durable peace that can’t be called into question by future aggression,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. “But peace cannot be a capitulation,” he stressed.

The US push for diplomacy comes as Ukraine faces mounting strain on the battlefield. Russian forces are advancing toward Pokrovsk, threatening what could become their first major urban gain in nearly two years. Simultaneously, Moscow has intensified strikes on critical infrastructure, causing deadly casualties and large-scale power outages as winter sets in.

Zelenskyy’s political challenges have compounded the pressure. A recent corruption scandal led to the dismissal of two cabinet ministers, fuelling demands from the opposition for broader government reforms and accountability.

In an unexpected development, a US Army delegation led by Secretary Daniel Driscoll arrived in Kyiv ahead of schedule to expedite coordination. American officials said Driscoll may also open channels to Russian officials as part of Washington’s renewed bid to push both sides toward negotiations.

Zelenskyy told Driscoll that Ukraine would cooperate with the Trump administration on refining the proposal, though Ukrainian officials have consistently maintained that surrendering territory remains unacceptable to the country’s public.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the initiative, saying durable peace would require “serious and realistic ideas” and inevitably “difficult compromises” from both parties.

As Washington advances its diplomatic drive, the 28-point plan has already stirred tensions with Europe and injected a new layer of uncertainty into Kyiv’s war strategy, underscoring how fraught the path to any peace settlement remains.