A peace plan backed by the United States has been devised by special envoy Steve Witkoff, incorporating feedback from both Kyiv and Moscow. This strategy is causing concern among European allies and increasing pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy, who firmly opposes acknowledging Russian sovereignty over Ukrainian territories, issued a stark warning in one of his most direct public statements. He cautioned that Ukraine is on the brink of “one of the most challenging moments in our history.”

Speaking to Reuters on Friday, Zelenskyy described the intense pressure facing Ukraine, indicating the nation might soon confront “a very difficult choice: losing its dignity or risking the loss of a key ally. Either 28 difficult points or facing an extremely harsh winter — arguably the hardest yet — with additional threats. A life devoid of freedom, dignity, and justice. We are expected to place trust in someone who has already attacked us twice.”

On August 18, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed by US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC. Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine and the United States are committed to diligently working on the peace plan’s provisions and are prepared for “constructive, honest, and swift collaboration.” (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynold / AFP via Getty Images)

Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to remain disciplined as negotiations continue with Washington. “We will not make any loud statements; we will work calmly with America and all our partners,” he said. “I will present arguments, I will persuade, I will offer alternatives, but we will definitely not give the enemy any reason to say that Ukraine does not want peace, that it is disrupting the process, and that Ukraine is not ready for diplomacy. That will not happen.”

Warning of intensified attempts to divide the country, he said Ukrainians should expect “a lot of pressure — political, informational and other kinds of pressure — to weaken us,” but vowed that “we have no right to allow that,” and insisted, “we will succeed.”

A U.S. official, speaking on background, told Fox News Digital, “It was strongly implied to the Ukrainians that the United States expects them to agree to a peace deal. Any changes will be decided upon by the President himself.”

According to multiple outlets, a working draft would require Kyiv to cede the eastern Donbas region to Russia, limit long-range Western strikes inside Russia, and cap Ukraine’s armed forces at roughly 600,000 troops.

The White House says Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been “quietly working” on the plan and engaging both sides. President Donald Trump has been briefed and supports pushing to finalize the framework by the holidays. 

Zelenskyy is preparing for a call with Trump, having already spoken with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Vice President JD Vance on Friday. 

Ukraine has formally received the document. Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the United States would “work on the provisions of the plan,” and that Kyiv is ready for “constructive, honest and swift work.” He has repeatedly ruled out recognizing Russian sovereignty over any Ukrainian territory, saying earlier there can be “no reward for waging war.”

“We are working to ensure that Ukraine’s national interests are taken into account at every level of our relations with partners,” Zelenskyy posted Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

President Donald Trump walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they arrive at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Aug. 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today (Friday) Russia has “not received anything officially” from Washington on the 28-point plan. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

A Ukrainian source told Fox News Digital that Kyiv’s red lines include limits on NATO membership, territorial concessions and troop cuts. The former senior Ukrainian official called the draft’s terms “political suicide” that would leave Zelenskyy responsible “for the loss of about one-fifth of Ukraine.”

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Washington and Moscow are not yet discussing the proposals in detail, but that contacts were taking place. “There are certain ideas on the American side, but nothing substantive is currently being discussed. We are completely open — we maintain our openness to peace negotiations,” Peskov told reporters.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz pressed for urgency during a Security Council briefing Thursday, saying diplomacy is “the only path to a durable and just peace.” Waltz said Washington has “proposed generous terms for Russia, including sanctions relief,” and vowed that “under President Trump’s leadership, the United States will continue to pursue a path to peace in Ukraine.”

On Friday, Fox News Channel’s Gillian Turner reported that a Trump administration official said the United States has offered Ukraine a security guarantee modeled on NATO’s Article 5 — a commitment that would treat any attack on Ukraine as an attack on all and would require military defense.

Ukraine’s Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, pushed back firmly during Thursday’s Security Council meeting, declaring that Kyiv would reject any settlement that compromises its sovereignty. “There will never be any recognition, formal or otherwise, of Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation as Russian. Our land is not for sale,” she said. Hayovyshyn stressed that “Ukraine will not accept any limits on its right to self-defense or on the size and capabilities of our armed forces, nor will we tolerate any infringement on our sovereignty, including our sovereign right to choose the alliances we want to join.”

Firefighters work on the site of a burning building after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, early Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

The Associated Press reported that the leaders of Germany, France and the U.K. spoke with Zelenskyy Friday to reaffirm their “unchanged and full support on the way to a lasting and just peace” as diplomats scrambled to parse a U.S. proposal many first learned about through the media. Germany’s Bild newspaper said Merz canceled a domestic appearance to hold crisis calls with both Zelenskyy and Trump.