Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that a revised plan for peace with Russia will be given to the U.S. Wednesday. (Francesco Fotia/Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaffirmed his refusal to cede any territory, resisting U.S. pressure for painful concessions to Russia as he continued to rally more European support for Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday on WhatsApp, Zelenskyy said three documents were now being discussed with American and European partners — a 20-point framework document that is constantly changing, a document on security guarantees and a document about Ukraine’s recovery.
He said Ukraine’s updated version of a peace proposal would be given to the U.S. on Wednesday.
“The Ukrainian and European components are now more developed, and we are ready to present them to our partners in the U.S.,” he wrote on X. “Together with the American side, we expect to swiftly make the potential steps as doable as possible.”
In a separate post, Zelenskyy also said he had briefed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on “the situation in Ukraine, on the front line, and on our efforts to ensure resilience.”
He thanked Canada for its continued support of Ukraine — which included a recent announcement of $200 million for military equipment, purchased through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), an international mechanism set up by NATO and the U.S. administration.
Trump says Ukraine must ‘play ball’
In an interview with Politico released Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump again pressed Zelenskyy to accept the U.S. proposal that Ukraine cede territory to Russia, arguing that Moscow retains the “upper hand” in its nearly four-year-old invasion, and that Zelenskyy’s government must “play ball.”
Russia, Trump said, is too powerful for Ukraine to continue fighting.
“I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the, you know, bravery and for the fighting and all of that,” he said. “But you know, at some point, size will win, generally.”
Zelenskyy had already told reporters in a WhatsApp chat late Monday that Ukraine agreeing to cede land was off the table.
“Do we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don’t have such right,” he said. “According to Ukraine’s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either.”
Trump also repeated his call for Ukraine to hold a presidential election even though martial law doesn’t allow it and Zelenskyy, elected in 2019, had his five-year term extended because of the war.
Trump’s position on Ukraine’s failure to hold an election mirrors frequent statements on the subject by Putin.
Responding to Trump’s remarks, Zelenskyy asked for help from the U.S. and possibly Europe “to ensure security for the elections, and then Ukraine will be ready to hold elections in the next 60-90 days.”
Pope Leo XIV and Zelenskyy shake hands at Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Tuesday. (Simone Risoluti/Vatican Media/The Associated Press)
Papal visit
The Ukrainian president met early Tuesday with Pope Leo at Castel Gandolfo, a papal residence outside Rome, and met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later.
Zelenskyy said his country “deeply appreciates” the humanitarian support of Pope Leo.
“I informed the Pope about diplomatic efforts with the United States to achieve peace. We discussed further actions and the Vatican’s mediation aimed at returning our children abducted by Russia,” he wrote on X.
The Holy See has tried to remain neutral in the war while offering solidarity and assistance to what it calls the “martyred” people of Ukraine. Leo has met now three times with Zelenskyy and has spoken by telephone at least once with Putin.
Vulnerable Ukrainian children among thousands forcibly taken to Russia
Ukrainian officials say 19,000 children have been forcibly transferred to Russia since the war began, including many with complicated health issues.
The U.S.-born pope has called for a ceasefire and urged Russia in particular to make gestures to promote peace.
The Pope “reiterated the need for the continuation of dialogue and expressed his urgent desire that the current diplomatic initiatives bring about a just and lasting peace,” the Vatican said in a statement.
“In addition, the questions of prisoners of war and the need to assure the return of Ukrainian children to their families were also discussed,” said the Vatican, which has mediated between Kyiv and Moscow on the children issue.
Several points struck from original plan: Zelenskyy
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of talks on Saturday aimed at trying to narrow differences on the U.S. administration’s peace proposal. An early version from the U.S. caused confusion and riled European allies who felt shut out from the process.
European leaders are working to ensure that any ceasefire is backed by solid security guarantees both from Europe and the U.S. to deter Russia from attacking again. Trump has not given explicit guarantees in public.
WATCH | End of U.S. security umbrella no longer unthinkable in Europe:
Is Europe rearming for war with Russia? | About That
Investments are being made across Europe to shore up its defence capabilities in the face of increased Russian aggression and an uncertain defence alliance with the United States. Andrew Chang explores the steps Europe is taking to deter a possible Russian attack. Images provided by The Canadian Press, Reuters and Getty Images
A major sticking point in the U.S. plan is the suggestion that Kyiv must cede control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine to Russia, which illegally occupies most but not all of the territory. Ukraine and its European allies have firmly resisted the idea of handing over land.
Putin, speaking Tuesday with pro-Kremlin activists, reaffirmed his claim that the Donbas is Russia’s “historic territory” and vowed to fulfill his war goals. “We will certainly take it to the logical conclusion,” he said.
Zelenskyy and his European allies have repeatedly accused Putin of slow-walking any talks to press ahead with the invasion as his forces are making slow but steady gains while waves of missiles and drones pummel Ukrainian infrastructure.
In overnight fighting, Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia fired 110 drones of various types across the country last night. They said air defences neutralized 84 drones, but 24 more struck their targets.
Several regions of Ukraine faced emergency blackouts Tuesday due to Russia’s prior attacks on energy infrastructure, according to Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo.
Ukraine, in its turn, continued its drone attacks on Russia.
Russian air defences destroyed 121 Ukrainian drones overnight above various Russian regions and occupied Crimea, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said Tuesday.
In Chuvashia, a region about 900 kilometres northeast of the border with Ukraine, the attack damaged residential buildings and injured nine people, local governor Oleg Nikolayev said in an online statement.
