‘Will never betray Ukraine..’: President Zelenskyy responds to Trump’s 28-point Russia-Ukraine peace plan, cautions of either losing…

United States President Doland Trump has put forth a 28-point draft proposal peace plan to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Nevertheless, it could be difficult for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept the plan, as it likely would involve ceding some territory of Ukraine to Russia – reportedly, Crimea and certain regions in eastern Ukraine.

What does the 28-point peace plan proposed by Trump entail?

The 28-point draft proposal includes that Ukraine’s sovereignty will be confirmed, Ukraine will receive reliable security guarantees, and the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be limited to 600,000 personnel, as reported by AP. If Ukraine launches a missile at Moscow or St. Petersburg without cause, the security guarantee will be deemed invalid, the AP report mentioned.

Why does Zelenskyy say Ukraine risks “losing dignity or freedom”?

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reacted to the peace plan. Meanwhile, on Friday(local time), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine could face a tough choice between sacrificing its dignity and freedom or losing Washington’s backing, as Kyiv deliberates on the US-proposed peace plan aimed at ending the ongoing conflict with Russia, Al Jazeera reported.

What impact could this plan have on Ukraine’s sovereignty and international relations?

In a speech given on Friday, in the street outside his office, Zelenskyy called for Ukrainians to remain united and reiterated he would never betray Ukraine.

“Now is one of the most difficult moments of our history … Now, Ukraine can face a very difficult choice — either losing dignity or risk losing a major partner,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera. Furthermore, the Ukrainian President stated,”I will fight 24/7 to ensure that at least two points in the plan are not overlooked – the dignity and freedom of Ukrainians.”

Zelenskyy’s remarks come just days after US President Doland Trump seemed to have given Kyiv a week to agree to his 28-point plan to ready a ceasefire to end the war, close to four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

While speaking to Fox News Radio on Friday, Trump stated that he felt next Thursday was “an appropriate” timeline for Ukraine to accept the deal. The Reuters news agency, citing two people familiar with the issue, reported that the Trump administration has threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and weapons supplies to Kyiv to pressure it into accepting the plan.

Meanwhile, the West would lift sanctions on Russia, and Russia would be invited to resume its membership in the Group of Eight (G8). The G8 previously suspended Russia because Russia took and annexed Crimea in 2014, according to AFP. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the proposal by the US as “a new version” of what was discussed with Washington in advance of a summit in Alaska earlier this year.

US President Doland Trump on Friday (local time) expressed confidence that Washington has identified a possible path to achieving peace between Ukraine and Russia, but stressed that the proposal would move forward only if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approves it, CNN reported. “We think we have a way of getting peace; he’s going to have to approve it. I think they’re getting reasonably close, but I don’t want to predict,” Trump said while speaking to the reporters at the Oval Office.