Zelenskyy is walking on a knife edge between defending Ukrainian interests and showing Trump he is willing to make some compromises, even as Washington’s push for a swift settlement narrows Kyiv’s room to manoeuvre.
Ukraine is expected to hand its latest peace proposals to US negotiators imminently, ahead of urgent talks with leaders from about 30 countries supporting Kyiv’s effort to end the war on acceptable terms. Moscow, meanwhile, shows no sign of shifting from its maximalist demands, complicating Zelenskyy’s balancing act.
Ukraine’s European allies back his insistence that any agreement must be fair and deter future Russian aggression while aligning with Europe’s broader defence needs. According to the French government, the “Coalition of the Willing” will discuss the negotiations by video on Thursday, with Zelenskyy saying the meeting will gather the leaders of those nations.
He acknowledged the difficulty of assembling so many partners quickly but expressed confidence it would be done. In Berlin, Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted that diplomacy around peace efforts is gaining significant momentum. Zelenskyy added that talks with the US would centre on Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction plan, while Kyiv also finalises a separate 20-point framework for ending the war and responds to Trump’s calls for an election by saying a vote could occur within three months if safety and legal conditions are secured.
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