President Trump said Friday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will have to approve a proposed plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine before it could take effect. He gave Zelenskyy a Thanksgiving deadline.
But Zelenskyy says Ukraine risks losing its dignity or the the support of the U.S. as a key international ally if it signs on to the agreement.
A U.S. official tell Scripps News that it was strongly implied that the U.S. expects Ukraine to agree to peace deal and changes will be decided upon "by the president himself."
The White House says it's been quietly working on over the last month or so. Zelenskyy met Friday with Vice President Vance and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to discuss its details.
"We have a plan. It's horrible what's happening. It's a war that should have never happened and would have never happened if I was president. And it's a shame. I thought they should have acted quicker. We have a way of getting peace. We think we have a way of getting peace. [Zelenskky is] going to have to approve it," President Trump said Friday.
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Circulated points of the plan, which have not yet been independently confirmed by Scripps News, indicate Ukraine will be called on to give up some eastern territory, including the Donbas, and areas that it currently controls. It would be required to cap its military size and not seek NATO membership, but instead have security guarantees from the United States.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin says the agreement could represent the "basis" for a peace deal, but denied that Russia had substantive talks ongoing.
Other European allies and NATO members are consulting with Ukraine about the development and are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G20 international summit — which President Trump will not attend.
