Ukrainian President Zelenskyy rejected on Friday, November 21, a U.S.-proposed peace plan that was seen as highly favorable to Russia. Zelenskyy emphasized that he would not "betray" his country.

Zelenskyy's speech to the nation on Friday highlighted a painful choice between "dignity" and support from a "key partner." AFP said this marked a subtle shift in his attitude toward negotiating with Russia to resolve the conflict.

He said, "We are experiencing one of the most difficult moments in the history of our country. The pressure Ukraine is facing is unprecedentedly huge." He continued, "Ukraine now faces an extremely difficult choice: either lose dignity or risk losing a key partner. Either accept this tough 28-point plan or face an extremely harsh winter, possibly the harshest one, and more unknown risks. Life without freedom, dignity, or justice."

"I will argue my case, I will try to persuade, I will propose alternatives," he continued, adding, "I will never betray my oath of loyalty to Ukraine."

According to two informed sources, the U.S. had insisted on an "aggressive timeline" after several fruitless rounds of talks and continued to pressure Ukraine, threatening to cut off military intelligence sharing and weapon supplies to Kyiv if Zelenskyy rejected its 28-point proposal.

Several media outlets, including AFP, have published the 28-point proposal supported by former U.S. President Trump, which requires Kyiv to hand over territories occupied by Russian forces to Russia, abandon NATO membership, significantly reduce its armed forces, and hold elections within a short period.

Amid a major corruption scandal in Ukraine and Russian advances on the battlefield, Zelenskyy faced a difficult choice, which he described in a rare, solemn and heavy video address to the nation on Friday. He said, "We are experiencing one of the most difficult moments in the history of our country. The pressure Ukraine is facing is unprecedentedly huge."

According to sources from the Ukrainian presidential office, Zelenskyy has called U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance regarding the plan, but no details of the conversation were disclosed.

Russia maintained a cautious distance, stating it had not yet received any formal documents from the U.S. and hoped Kyiv would make a "responsible decision."

Ukraine and Europe in Emergency Negotiations

Zelenskyy also urgently consulted with leaders of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, the three key allies for Kyiv in dealing with Moscow and Washington.

EU Commission President von der Leyen reiterated after her call with Zelenskyy, "No decision can be made on the issue of Ukraine without Ukraine," she said, adding that the matter would be discussed during the G20 summit in South Africa.

EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas previously accused Russia of manipulating the creation of this new U.S. proposal, aiming to delay the implementation of sanctions already decided by Trump and prevent Brussels from discussing the use of frozen Russian assets in Europe.

"We are studying the documents prepared by the U.S. to seek a real and dignified peace for Ukraine," Zelenskyy wrote on X after calls with Macron, Sunak, and Mertz.

According to a statement released by the Elysée Palace, the three European leaders called for a solution that fully included Kyiv, emphasizing that any decision must receive "common support and consensus" from European countries and NATO allies.

The German Chancellor's office stated in a statement: "Europe hopes that the Ukrainian armed forces can effectively defend Ukraine's sovereignty."

UN Secretary-General Guterres said that any "peace solution" concerning Ukraine must respect its "territorial integrity." He made these remarks before heading to Johannesburg for the upcoming G20 summit opening on Saturday.

A U.S. official said on Thursday that the proposed plan includes security guarantees provided by the U.S. and its European allies, comparable to NATO levels, to protect against future attacks, confirming previous media reports. AFP revealed that the plan includes: Kyiv must commit to never joining NATO and will not get a commitment of Western troop deployments in Ukraine, although the plan does stipulate that European fighter jets will be deployed in Poland to protect Ukraine.

The Peace Plan Clearly Favors Russia

The plan adopted several long-standing demands from the Kremlin that Kyiv had previously firmly rejected.

The plan requires Kyiv to cede territories in eastern Ukraine to Moscow and accept the continued occupation of parts of southern Ukraine by Russian forces.

The Donetsk and Luhansk regions, industrial and mining areas in eastern Ukraine, as well as Crimea, annexed in 2014, will "be considered de facto part of Russia, including the U.S. will recognize them." In addition, Moscow will gain additional territories currently controlled by Kyiv.

Russia will end its isolation in the Western world, rejoin the G8, and Western sanctions will be gradually lifted, while the requirement that Ukraine will never join NATO will be written into the Ukrainian constitution, fulfilling Russia's long-term goal.

Kyiv must limit its army to 600,000 personnel and rely only on European fighter jets deployed in Poland for protection, while NATO will commit not to deploy any troops in Ukraine.

Ukraine must also hold elections within 100 days — a requirement that again echoes Moscow's demand, as Russia has long insisted on removing Zelenskyy from power.

Russian forces continue to announce the capture of new villages each week on the front lines. The Kremlin urged Zelenskyy to "negotiate now" to avoid losing more territory.

In Kyiv, the word "surrender" became a keyword on the streets on Friday. Danylo Domsky, an 18-year-old student, told AFP, "I truly hope Ukraine will not agree to implement such a deal."

Source: rfi

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7575329366473802294/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion below using the 【up/down】 buttons.