KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine faces a hard choice at a pivotal point in its almost four-year fight to defeat Russia’s full-scale invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Ukrainians in a national address Friday, pledging to hold constructive discussions with Washington on a U.S. peace proposal in what he called “truly one of the most difficult moments in our history.”
The U.S. plan contains many of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s longstanding demands while offering limited security guarantees to Ukraine. It foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia, something Zelenskyy has repeatedly ruled out, reduces the size of it army and blocks its coveted path to NATO membership.
While Zelenskyy has offered to negotiate with the U.S. and Russia, he signaled Ukraine may not get everything it wants and has to confront the possibility of losing American support if it makes a stand.
“Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest," Zelenskyy said in a recorded speech. "Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.”
“We do not make loud statements. We will work calmly with America and all partners," he said, but insisted on fair treatment.
“Ukraine’s national interest must be taken into account,” he said.
He urged Ukrainians to “stop fighting” each other, in a possible reference to a major corruption scandal that has brought fierce criticism of the government, and said peace talks next week “will be very difficult.”
Europe says it will keep supporting Ukraine
Zelenskyy spoke earlier by phone with the leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom, who assured him of their continued support, as European officials scrambled to respond to the U.S. proposals that apparently caught them unawares.
Wary of antagonizing U.S. President Donald Trump, the European and Ukrainian responses were cautiously worded and pointedly commended American peace efforts.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured Zelenskyy of “their unchanged and full support on the way to a lasting and just peace” in Ukraine, Merz’s office said.
The four leaders welcomed U.S. efforts to end the war. “In particular, they welcomed the commitment to the sovereignty of Ukraine and the readiness to grant Ukraine solid security guarantees,” the statement added.
The line of contact must be the departure point for an agreement, they said, and the Ukrainian armed forces must remain in a position to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine effectively.”
Starmer said the right of Ukraine to "determine its future under its sovereignty is a fundamental principle.”
Existential threat to Europe
European countries see their own futures at stake in Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion and have insisted on being consulted in peace efforts.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine is an existential threat to Europe. We all want this war to end. But how it ends matters,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in Brussels. “Russia has no legal right whatsoever to any concessions from the country it invaded. Ultimately, the terms of any agreement are for Ukraine to decide."
A European government official said that the U.S. plans weren’t officially presented to Ukraine’s European backers.
Many of the proposals are “quite concerning,” the European government official said, adding that a bad deal for Ukraine would also be a threat to broader European security.
The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the plan publicly.
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European Council President Antonio Costa in Johannesburg said of the U.S. proposals: “The European Union has not been communicated (about) any plans in (an) official manner.”
Ukraine examines the proposals
Ukrainian officials said they were weighing the U.S. proposals, and Zelenskyy said he expected to talk to Trump about it in coming days.
The Kremlin offered a reserved reaction, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that Moscow has not officially received the U.S. proposal.
“No, we haven’t received anything officially. We’re seeing some innovations. But officially, we haven’t received anything. And there hasn’t been a substantive discussion of these points,” Peskov told reporters without elaborating further.
He claimed U.S.-Russian diplomatic contacts are “ongoing,” but “nothing substantive is currently being discussed.”
A U.S. team began drawing up the plan soon after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Rustem Umerov, a top adviser to Zelenskyy, according to a senior Trump administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The official added that Umerov agreed to most of the plan, after making several modifications, and then presented it to Zelenskyy.
However, Umerov on Friday denied that version of events. He said he only organized meetings and prepared the talks.
He said technical talks between the U.S. and Ukraine were continuing in Kyiv.
“We are thoughtfully processing the partners’ proposals within the framework of Ukraine’s unchanging principles — sovereignty, people’s security, and a just peace,” he said.
Russian glide bomb hits Ukraine homes
Meanwhile, a Russian glide bomb slammed into a residential district in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing five people, officials said Friday, as Moscow’s forces continued to hammer civilian areas of Ukraine. The overnight attack also injured 10 people, including a teenage girl.
The powerful glide bomb damaged some high-rise apartment blocks for the third time since the war began and also wrecked a local market, according to the head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov.
A Russian drone assault on the southern city of Odesa also struck a residential area during the night, injuring five people, including a 16-year-old boy.
Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal. Harriet Morris in Tallinn, Estonia, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Angela Charlton in Paris and Pan Pylas in London also contributed reporting.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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