The Trump administration is insisting that Ukraine’s government agree by the Thanksgiving holiday to a much-criticized plan to end Russia’s invasion — or it will cut off intelligence sharing and shipments of weapons to the beleaguered European nation, according to a new report.
The 28-point plan, details of which were reported by The Post on Thursday, was presented to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
Reuters reported Friday that Kyiv has come under greater pressure from Washington to sign on to the deal than at any point in the 33-month-old conflict.
The framework calls for US recognition of the entire eastern Donbas region — which has been under attack by Moscow for 11 years — as Russian territory, while battle lines will be frozen in two other war-torn regions, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Most controversially, Ukraine would have to limit its armed forces to 600,000 troops, enshrine permanent neutrality by pledging never to join NATO, and codify that ban in its own charter.
NATO, in turn, would have to promise not to station troops in Ukraine — though European fighter jets would be based in neighboring Poland.
“They want to stop the war and want Ukraine to pay the price,” one source described the plan to Reuters, while a European official called the framework “quite concerning” to the Associated Press.
European Council President Antonio Costa told reporters at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, of the US proposals: “The European Union has not been communicated any plans in [an] official manner.”
However, a senior US official told The Post that Ukrainian officials — including top Zelensky adviser Rustem Umerov — had given “positive” feedback and “agreed to the majority of the plan” following discussions with Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff in Miami late last month.
Umerov on Friday denied that version of events, claiming to AP that he only organized meetings and prepared the talks with Witkoff.
Also Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Zelensky to reassure him of their continued support.
The foursome “welcomed the commitment to the sovereignty of Ukraine and the readiness to grant Ukraine solid security guarantees,” according to a statement by Merz’s office.
“They agreed to continue pursuing the aim of protecting vital European and Ukrainian interests in the long term,” the statement said. “That includes the line of contact being the point of departure for an agreement and that the Ukrainian armed forces must remain in a position to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine effectively.”
Zelensky is in the middle of perhaps his most vulnerable political period since the war began, with Russian forces advancing on the northeastern cities of Kupiansk and Lyman and fierce fighting surrounding the logistics hub of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast.
Closer to home, Zelensky has been mired in a corruption scandal involving the embezzlement of $100 million from Ukraine’s energy sector through kickbacks paid by contractors.
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After investigators publicized their findings, Zelensky dismissed two top officials and imposed sanctions on close associates.
One person implicated in the scheme, Tymur Mindich, is a partner in a media production company that Zelensky co-owned before his election in 2019.
Mindich has reportedly fled the country.
Under the US framework, Ukraine would be required to hold elections within 100 days of the agreement taking effect.
Elections have been barred by the Ukrainian constitution due to the declaration of martial law for wartime.
Additional reporting by Caitlin Doornbos and Post wires
