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US officials have told Nato allies that they plan to press president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a peace deal within days. They warned that if Ukraine refuses now, it will face a much harder deal later.
Dan Driscoll, the US army secretary, briefed Nato ambassadors in Kyiv late on Friday. He had just met Zelenskyy and spoken with the White House. One person present said he told them: “No deal is perfect, but it must be done sooner rather than later.”
The atmosphere in the room was tense. Several European ambassadors questioned what the deal contained and were unhappy that the US had negotiated with Russia without keeping allies informed.
One diplomat called it a “nightmare meeting”, saying it felt like the same argument heard earlier in the year in Washington, when Trump said Zelenskyy “had no cards” to play.
The proposed deal includes terms that Ukraine is unlikely to accept. Ukraine would have to give up territory already taken by Russia, and also give up some of the land it still controls. The plan also calls for an amnesty for all war crimes committed during the war.
On Friday, Zelenskyy told Ukrainians in a video address that this was “one of the most difficult moments of our history”. He said Ukraine now faced a choice between “losing our dignity or losing a key ally”.
Driscoll, who is close to US vice-president JD Vance and recently given responsibility for Ukraine, did not say clearly whether the plan matched the 28-point proposal reported in the media. According to one source, he said: “Some things matter, some are window dressing – and we are most focused on the things that matter.”
Ukraine’s other allies were shocked when the US revealed the plan earlier this week, since they had not been told its details. Many in Europe are worried that Russia has been allowed too much influence over the draft agreement, which is being presented to Ukraine as final.
Driscoll defended the approach, saying fewer participants made the process easier to manage. He said: “President Trump wants peace now. The more cooks in the kitchen, the harder it is to handle.”
Julie Davis, the US chargé d’affaires in Kyiv, also attended. She told the ambassadors that although the terms were harsh, Ukraine did not have a better option. “The deal does not get better from here, it gets worse,” she said.
Trump wants Zelenskyy to sign the agreement by Thanksgiving on Thursday. Davis said this week that Trump was working on an “aggressive timeline”. She described the pace of diplomacy as “remarkable” and said it was the “most ambitious” she had seen in her career.
A US official said the deal “was beneficial to Ukraine” when asked why Kyiv should be forced to give up eastern territory that Russia had failed to take for 11 years. They said the plan involved Trump and Zelenskyy signing a document “for peace”.
The proposal was reportedly drafted by Trump aide Steve Witkoff and Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev. Their cooperation has become an important back channel between Washington and Moscow. Driscoll is expected to travel to Russia soon to discuss the plan further.
On Friday, Vladimir Putin said Russia had received a copy of the plan. He told senior security officials: “I believe that it can be used as the basis for a final peaceful settlement.”
Sources: BBC, CNN, The Guardian.
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