The administration of US President Donald Trump has told Ukrainian and European officials that there is little room for negotiations on a plan to end the war with Russia, amid reports that "the US is pressuring Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sign an agreement drafted with Moscow's help by Thursday," the Financial Times reports, writes UNN.
Details
US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll told European ambassadors and Western officials at a "difficult" meeting in Kyiv late Friday that he was "optimistic that now is the time for peace," but "warned that Washington would show little flexibility," the publication writes.
"We are not discussing the details," he said, according to a senior European official at the meeting at the Kyiv residence of US Chargé d'Affaires Julie Davis. One senior European official called the tone of the meeting "nauseating."
News of the Kyiv discussion, as well as US President Donald Trump's comments on Friday that Ukraine "will have to like" Washington's deal, prompted European leaders gathered for the G20 meeting in Johannesburg to discuss late into the night how to intervene, the publication notes.
It's time for those who whispered to Trump to start shouting
The meeting in Kyiv took place a day after the 28-point US plan emerged. According to European officials present, "the discussion quickly went off track."
Davis told those present that "however much we can support Ukraine in continuing the war, there are limits," said one of the ambassadors present.
"There are strong indications that Russia has a powerful industrial base, and it's a matter of time before Ukraine has to make a deal," she said, according to the ambassador.
Driscoll arrived late and added expletives to his comments, according to those present. "We need to end this shit," he said.
"The US armed forces love and support Ukraine, but the honest assessment of the American military is that Ukraine is in a very bad position, and now is the best time for peace," Driscoll continued.
He added that "security guarantees are part of this" US deal and will be discussed with European and Ukrainian leaders in the coming days, the publication writes.
A senior European official at the meeting said that Davis and Driscoll insisted that President Zelenskyy sign the agreement by the American Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27.
US wants Ukraine to sign peace plan by Thanksgiving - media21.11.25, 18:03 • [views_3299]
"We have a narrow window for peace - President Trump wants peace now," Driscoll said, according to text provided to the Financial Times by a senior Western official who was present at the meeting. "The more cooks in the kitchen, the harder it is to deal with."
In a televised address earlier on Friday, Zelenskyy warned the nation that it risked "being forced to choose between losing US support or losing dignity in a harsh peace with Russia," the publication notes.
The Ukrainian leader's comments came a day after Driscoll presented him with a 28-point plan "that crossed several of Kyiv's red lines," the publication writes.
On Friday, Trump responded to Zelenskyy's comments in the Oval Office, saying that the Ukrainian president "will have to like" the US plan. "At some point, he's going to have to accept something," he indicated.
EU ambassadors and officials at the meeting in Kyiv, the publication notes, called the messages from the US "shocking."
A US official present in the room said the meeting was "positive, straightforward, and respectful."
"There was a good exchange of views, Secretary Driscoll answered as many questions as time allowed, as fully as possible," the US official said.
One Western official said that diplomats at the meeting believed the US was exploiting Zelenskyy's political weakness amid a domestic corruption scandal to try to quickly conclude a deal.
Some EU ambassadors at the meeting "presented the US proposal as a strategic victory for Russia," the publication writes. Davis countered that the loss of 1 million soldiers - the US estimates of Russian losses since Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion in 2022 - is not a victory, the publication writes.
"At the end of the meeting, EU ambassadors argued that instead of making a deal now, more pressure was needed on Russia. The Americans said that what was offered was the best Ukraine could expect," the publication states.
"It turns out it's even worse than we thought," said another senior European official who was briefed on the meeting.
Against this backdrop, bilateral talks were organized between European leaders gathered in Johannesburg for the G20 summit.
"Meetings that lasted late into the night included Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and focused on finding a way to convince Trump to slow down his demand for Ukraine to accept the proposal," the publication writes.
The proposed peace plan also drew criticism from some Republican leaders in the US.
Senator Mitch McConnell said Putin "has been trying to make President Trump look like a fool all year," adding that "rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous for America's interests."
Recall
Axios published a 28-point plan by US President Donald Trump for peace in Ukraine, which includes territorial concessions, security guarantees, and economic components.
Reuters reported, citing two sources, that "the United States threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and arms supplies to Ukraine to force it to agree to a framework peace deal brokered by the US." One of the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the US wants Ukraine to sign the framework agreement by next Thursday, November 27.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with the leaders of France, Britain, and Germany regarding the American peace plan. The parties coordinated further steps and agreed on joint team work.