President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that mounting pressure on Ukraine to accept a new 28-point peace proposal brokered by the United States has created one of the most difficult moments in the country’s modern history.
Speaking on Tuesday, Zelensky said Ukraine was being pushed into choosing between “losing its dignity or losing a key partner,” in a clear reference to Washington’s growing insistence that Kyiv embrace the plan.
The leaked proposal, drafted by the Trump administration, calls for Ukraine to relinquish unoccupied territory while allowing Russia to retain control of regions it currently occupies, including Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk. It also proposes that Ukraine hold nationwide elections within 100 days, scale down its military, and abandon its long-standing ambition of joining NATO.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly endorsed Washington’s framework, saying it could form the “basis of a final peace settlement.”
Kyiv, however, is preparing to present its own counter-proposal. Time is short. President Donald Trump has said he believes next Thursday should serve as the deadline for Ukraine to accept his deal.
Pressure from Washington has surged to levels not seen since March, when the Trump administration briefly halted weapons deliveries and intelligence sharing to Kyiv. That episode followed a tense Oval Office meeting in which Zelensky was sharply criticized by Trump and accused of ingratitude by Senator JD Vance. Vance, together with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, is now again central to the ongoing diplomatic push.
According to a source familiar with the negotiations, the United States is once more threatening to withdraw support if Ukraine fails to respond to the 28-point plan by the Thursday deadline.
Trump, in a radio interview earlier today, confirmed the date, though he did not characterize it as an ultimatum. He repeatedly emphasized the pressure Ukraine is facing on the battlefield. His tone suggested a leader framing the moment as Ukraine’s decisive choice.
From Zelensky’s perspective, the choice is even starker: preserve national dignity or preserve the United States lifeline that underpins Ukraine’s survival.
Many Ukrainians fear that in Trump’s eagerness to end the war, an aspiration widely shared, the proposed terms amount to a settlement dictated by Moscow. They believe it could leave Ukraine dangerously exposed to future Russian aggression. For Kyiv, rejecting the terms risks losing access to U.S. weapons and intelligence. The latter, however, has become less critical. Since 2022, Ukraine has increasingly relied on commercial satellite intelligence capable of guiding deep strikes hundreds or even thousands of kilometres into Russian territory.
Former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has echoed this point, noting, “Kyiv will cope without U.S. intelligence… the world has moved on, and the ability to collect intelligence from a range of data sources is much more possible.”
What Ukraine cannot afford to lose is Western weaponry, particularly U.S.-made Patriot air defence systems that are indispensable for intercepting Russia’s relentless nightly barrages of ballistic and cruise missiles.
European partners can mitigate some of the shortfall, but the loss of the United States as a strategic pillar would be a devastating setback. Analysts warn it could embolden President Putin to intensify his military campaign and increase pressure on Ukraine to capitulate.
Ukraine now stands at a crossroads. It is a moment defined not only by war, but by the balance between sovereignty, survival and the geopolitical interests of its most powerful ally.
