In an address on his Telegram, Vladimir Zelensky has told Ukrainians of a choice between “the difficult 28 points, or a very difficult winter” FILE PHOTO. European leaders with Vladimir Zelensky at a White House meeting with US President Donald Trump, Washington, DC, August 18, 2025. © Win McNamee/Getty Images The surprise submission of a peace plan to a weakened Vladimir Zelensky by the US on Thursday, together with the overnight publication of an alleged draft text, has forced Kiev’s European backers into what Western media is widely calling an ‘emergency’ response. Zelensky has addressed Ukrainians in a ten-minute video on his Telegram channel, citing the necessity to face up to the reported 28-points contained in the US-backed plan, decried by his Western European backers, or “a very difficult winter.” The Kremlin has refused to get involved in “megaphone diplomacy,” following a series of loud proclamations of defiance from Brussels on Friday morning. European Council President Antonio Costa openly admitted that the EU has not been told about the plan, which has reportedly been backed by US President Donald Trump. Zelensky has also held an ‘emergency’ call with French President Emmanuel Macon, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friederich Merz. You can read the text reportedly leaked from Kiev last night here, while below we will bring you up to date with reactions from Moscow, Kiev, Brussels and beyond. Show latestShow oldest 22 November 2025 02:21 GMT “Warmongers hate President Trump’s peace plans and do everything to sabotage them … UK & EU anti‑Trump warmongers are particularly active,” Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on X. In a separate post, Dmitriev wrote: “Because of warmongers’ propaganda, many people miss that Trump’s Peace Plan is designed to save Ukraine from losing even more land and lives. Watch closely attackers of the Peace Plan — and how they benefit from an endless war. Maybe they just hope to get a golden toilet,” in an apparent reference to the massive graft scandal that unfolded in Ukraine last week. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said a US-backed peace proposal centres on lifting sanctions and reintegrating Russia into the global economy, arguing that Europe’s economic interests have suffered since relations with Moscow collapsed. In a post on X on Friday, he contrasted the reported US plan with EU proposals to provide another €100 billion ($115 billion) in support for Ukraine, accusing Brussels of prolonging the conflict. Szijjártó urged European leaders not to undermine what he called American efforts for peace, saying he hoped the plan could be adopted soon so that “peace can finally return.” The US-backed peace plan that has been revealed contains key pillars for the future security of Europe and, above all, it would not divide the world into blocs but would help rebuild relations.The plan proposes lifting sanctions and reintegrating Russia into the global economy.… — Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) November 21, 2025 Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s economic aide and a senior negotiator, welcomed Szijjarto’s remarks. He said Hungary remained “a voice of reason and peace in Europe,” accusing EU leaders of following what he called President Joe Biden’s “false narrative of endless war.” Dmitriev said such “voices of reason and peace” would ultimately prevail by exposing “globalist, brainwashing media” promoting conflict. 21 November 2025 23:39 GMT British PM Keir Starmer says he and other «Ukraine’s partners» will meet on the margins of G20 summit to discuss «securing a full ceasefire.» Prolonging the Ukrainian conflict will not improve Kiev’s negotiating position, The Economist wrote, citing a source in Ukrainian intelligence agencies. “Right now, we are holding on, just about,” he said. “In two months’ time, who knows? The deal on offer won’t get any better by then either.” The US submitted the peace plan, as Zelensky’s legitimacy at home has been significantly undermined by a corruption scandal, while Ukraine’s forces on the conflict frontlines have suffered a series of setbacks. In recent months, Russian forces have been steadily advancing in the Donetsk People’s Republic, making significant gains. The Ukrainian military, by contrast, is facing severe personnel shortages. A group of American generals is “likely” to fly to Moscow next week to discuss the Ukraine peace plan with the Kremlin, The Guardian wrote citing US sources. Zelensky is “going to have to accept something,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. ”You remember, right, in the Oval Office not so long ago, I said, ‘You don’t have the cards’,” the president added, referencing the heated argument between him, Vice President J.D. Vance and Zelensky earlier this year. Read more Both Trump and Vance then accused Zelensky of not showing gratitude after he challenged the latter on the question of diplomacy with Putin. The argument in the Oval Office was broadcast globally and led to the rest of Zelensky’s White House visit being canceled. Trump says Zelensky “will have to like” the US-backed peace plan. «I thought they should have acted quicker. But it’s a cold winter and a lot of the utilities, but a lot of the big energy producing plants have been under attack, to put it mildly, to put it nicely,» he added. RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan has said that the EU is extending its sanctions against RT because the channel keeps reporting on “Nazism in Ukraine and the crimes of the Kiev regime.” She said on Telegram: “We wrote, we write, and we will keep writing.” US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have discussed the peace plan Washington drafted for ending the Ukrainian conflict, a German government spokesperson told Reuters on Friday. The two leaders spoke on the phone “for a quarter of an hour,” the spokesperson added. Merz will now inform other European partners to coordinate further steps. Discussion of the plan is expected to dominate the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg that many European leaders are attending this weekend, despite a boycott by Trump. Ukraine’s leadership either lacks objective information about the situation on the front line or is unable to assess it properly, Putin has said. Kiev has previously denied that its forces were encircled in the key logistics hub of Kupyansk in the Kharkov Region. The Russian president warned that if Kiev refuses to discuss Trump’s peace proposal, “they and the European warmongers must realize that events in Kupyansk will repeat in other key areas — maybe not as quickly as we would like, but inevitably.” On Thursday, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov told Putin that Russian forces had liberated Kupyansk, while Ukraine’s General Staff has insisted the city remains under Kiev’s control. More 21 November 2025 00:02 GMT Starmer claims he and other Ukraine backers are to support Trump’s peace plan and “look at how we can strenghthen plan.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a joint call with French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, the German government has said. The three Western leaders “reiterated their full support” for Kiev and pledged to keep coordinating efforts aimed at what Berlin described as a “lasting and just peace.” Berlin said any steps involving the EU or NATO would require full consensus among member states. Here’s the readout (auf Deutsch) of Merz’s call with Macron, Starmer and Zelensky. Worth noting some reporters have detected a weakness in the second part of the text, in the pledge to continue pursuing security for Ukraine. The US has threatened to cut off Ukraine from intelligence and weaponry in a bid to press it into accepting President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan, Reuters reported on Friday, citing two sources familiar with the matter. Read more A delegation of senior US military officials met with Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev earlier this week. The US ambassador in Ukraine and the army public affairs chief travelling with the delegation described the meeting as a success and said Washington sought an “aggressive timeline” for the signature of a document between Washington and Kiev.
“We all want this war to end,” the EU’s Kaja Kallas has insisted, despite not offering any proposals on how to do so. “How it ends matters,” she added, insisting “This is a very dangerous moment for all.”
Zelensky confirmed on X he has held a joint call with Macron, Starmer and Merz to coordinate positions on a new peace proposal. “We are working on a document prepared by the American side,” he wrote, praising the efforts of US President Donald Trump and his team.
I held a joint call with President of France @EmmanuelMacron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom @Keir_Starmer, and @bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz. I am grateful for their principled support for Ukraine and for all our people.We discussed the plan for peace for Ukraine and all… pic.twitter.com/Lz6Tq38QUR
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 21, 2025
Trump has indicated he wants to expedite ending the conflict, hoping to conclude it by the end of the year, according to CNN. The push to restart talks reemerged as a top priority for Trump shortly after the US helped broker a ceasefire in Gaza, the outlet wrote on Friday.
Amid a morning of frantic calls and posturing in Western Europe the Kremlin has refused to be drawn into megafone diplomacy, according to Russian outlet RBK. “Do you want us to negotiate such a complex matter via megaphone? We are open to peace talks for the sake of successful peace talks, not for the sake of the process,” he said. Asked about the conditions for Russia’s readiness for negotiations, Peskov referred to the discussions in Anchorage between Putin and Trump in August.
Britain will provide Ukraine with a NATO-style security guarantee as part of Trump’s peace plan, The Telegraph has reported. Zelensky said he is prepared to use the plan as a starting point for negotiations, according to the paper.
Zelensky is expected to speak with US Vice President J.D. Vance later on Friday, Axios reporter Barak Ravid wrote on X, citing two sources.
Ukrainian officials already appear to be at odds over the US peace plan. While Zelensky has publicly said he is willing to negotiate with Trump, Kiev’s officials at the UN have already rejected several key clauses out of hand.
During a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, Kiev’s deputy permanent representative, Khristina Gayovyshyn, insisted “there will never be any recognition – formal or otherwise” of any former Ukrainian territories as part of Russia.
“Our land is not for sale,” Gayovyshyn stated, adding that Ukraine will also “not accept any limits… on the size and capabilities of its armed forces.”
READ MORE: Ukrainian UN mission rejects key clauses of reported US peace plan
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