Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday he had spoken to the leaders of France, Britain and Germany about a proposed 28-point peace plan from the Trump administration to the end Russia’s war in Ukraine. He said the leaders “appreciate the efforts of the United States, President Trump and his team to end this war.”
In a separate video posted on social media on Friday, Zelensky said: “Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either the loss of its dignity or the risk of losing an important partner. Either a difficult 28 points or an extremely difficult winter.”
A Ukrainian official said Zelensky also discussed the peace plan with Vice President JD Vance on Friday.
President Trump said in a radio interview that he wanted a response from Zelensky on his 28-point plan by Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, but said an extension was possible to set the terms.
“I had a lot of deadlines, but when things are going well you tend to extend the deadlines,” Mr. Trump said in an interview on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio. “But Thursday is – we think it’s an appropriate time.”
Later on Friday, Mr. Trump told reporters: “We have a plan” to address the war between Russia and Ukraine, but Zelensky has yet to agree to it. The president said of the Ukrainian leader: “At some point he will have to accept something.”
“He has to like it, and if he doesn’t like it, then I think they should just keep fighting,” Trump said.
Among the plan’s provisions is that Ukraine must give up much of its eastern territory, limit the size of its military and never join NATO – points that meet Russian President Vladimir Putin’s previous demands.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the US 28-point plan had not been discussed in detail with Russia.
Putin, appearing on camera on Friday, said Russia had received the text of the 28-point plan “through existing communication channels with the US government.”
“I believe it could also form the basis for a final peace settlement,” he said. “But the content of this text is not being discussed with us. And I can imagine why. I think the reason is the same: the US government has not yet been able to secure the consent of the Ukrainian side. Ukraine is against it.”
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and war has been raging there ever since.
Some European governments knew the U.S. was working on a proposal but were not involved in drafting it, said European officials contacted by CBS News. On Thursday, officials said European governments had not been briefed on the contents of the plan.
“We are working on the document prepared by the American side. This must be a plan that ensures a real and dignified peace,” Zelensky said on social media on Friday after his phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“We are coordinating closely to ensure that the principled positions are taken into account,” Zelensky said, adding that the leaders “have coordinated the next steps and agreed that our teams will work together at the appropriate levels.”
In an earlier social media post late Thursday, Zelensky said he had spoken to a “high-level delegation” from the United States about the plan
“The American side presented its proposals – the points of a plan to end the war – its vision. Since the first days of the war, we have held a very simple position: Ukraine needs peace to ensure that everything is real,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader said he expects to speak with President Trump in the coming days.
“We are fully aware that America’s strength and America’s support can really bring peace closer, and we don’t want to lose that,” Zelensky said. “We are also aware that Russia has no real desire for peace – otherwise they would not have started this war.”
A German government statement released Friday after the phone call between Zelensky, Macron, Starmer and Merz said the four European leaders “welcomed the United States’ efforts to end the war in Ukraine. In particular, they welcomed the commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and the willingness to provide Ukraine with solid security guarantees.”
The German statement said the leaders “committed to continuing to pursue the goal of safeguarding vital European and Ukrainian interests in the long term. This includes, among other things, ensuring that the Line of Contact serves as a starting point for any understanding and that Ukrainian armed forces remain able to effectively defend Ukraine’s sovereignty.”
The leaders agreed that any plan affecting the EU, European countries or NATO “requires the consent of European partners or a consensus among allies,” the German statement said.
