Trump gives Zelensky a week to sign peace deal – FT
21 November 2025 09:14
The US administration expects Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a peace plan drawn up by Washington before Thanksgiving, which this year will be celebrated on November 27, Ukrainian officials familiar with the details of the talks told the Financial Times (FT), "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to them, after that, American officials are going to submit a peace agreement in Moscow to complete the process of settling the war by early December. However, the office of the Ukrainian president believes that it will not be possible to meet this deadline, as there are several points in the US plan that are “red lines” for Kyiv. The FT’s interlocutors added that they are working on counterproposals that will soon be presented to the American side.
on November 20, Zelenskyy met with US Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll. According to Axios, the latter handed the Ukrainian leader a peace plan and agreed on an “aggressive schedule” for its signing. Zelenskyy agreed to work on the provisions of the document to end the war, while outlining “the principles that are important to the people of Ukraine.”
“We will not make loud statements and we are committed to clear, honest work – Ukraine, the United States and our friends and partners in Europe and the world,” the Ukrainian president said after the meeting with Driscoll.
Subsequently, Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko published a 28-point peace plan for the United States. He suggests that Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk will be de facto recognized as Russian territories, Kyiv will withdraw its troops from the unoccupied part of Donetsk region, and the parties will freeze hostilities along the contact line in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Ukraine will also enshrine in the Constitution its refusal to join NATO, the size of the Armed Forces will be limited to 600,000 people, and NATO troops will be banned from being deployed on the country’s territory. In turn, sanctions against Russia will be gradually lifted and Moscow will be returned to the Group of Eight (G8).
In addition, the United States and Europe will start rebuilding Ukraine with $100 billion of frozen Russian assets and their own investments. At the same time, Kyiv will receive security guarantees from the United States, and Moscow will legislate a policy of non-aggression against Europe and Ukraine. Also, Ukraine is to hold presidential elections 100 days after the agreement is signed.
According to Axios, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff worked on the proposed peace plan. He consulted with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries. The latter confirmed his participation in the peace plan, praising its chances of success.
