Zelensky rebuffs US plan to end war, says won’t ‘betray’ Ukraine

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky warns he will not “betray” his country as he pushed back on a US plan to end the war on terms favorable to Moscow, acknowledging he risks losing Washington as an ally.

Ukraine faces one of the most challenging moments in its history, Zelensky says in an address to the nation published on social media, adding that he would propose “alternatives” to US President Donald Trump’s 28-point plan.

Kyiv and its European allies were startled by the proposal — which would effectively force Ukraine to capitulate by giving up land, cutting its army, pledging never to join NATO and holding snap elections.

Russia, meanwhile, would not only gain territory but be reintegrated into the global economy and rejoin the G8, under a draft of the plan, seen by AFP.

In Moscow, the Kremlin was bullish, threatening Zelensky to negotiate or lose even more territory.

Zelensky says: “I will present arguments, I will persuade, I will propose alternatives.”

Recalling how he marshaled Kyiv’s response to the Russian invasion in February 2022, he says: “We did not betray Ukraine then, we will not do so now.”

He spoke to US Vice President JD Vance earlier today, a source in the Ukrainian president’s office says, without elaborating on the discussion.

And the Ukrainian leader plans to speak directly to Trump in the “coming days,” his office said Thursday.

He also held an emergency call with German, French and British leaders as Europe, cut out of the process, also scrambled to respond.