Zelensky Sounds the Alarm: Ukraine Faces Its Darkest Moment
A White House “peace plan” written in Moscow’s image leaves Kyiv choosing between U.S. support and national dignity - with Europe nowhere near ready to step in
WORLD BRIEFING | HOT TAKE
President Zelensky didn’t mince words: “one of the most difficult moments in our history.” His 10-minute address to the nation today laid bare what’s at stake as Washington circulates a 28-point “peace plan” that - let’s be honest - reads like it was faxed straight from the Kremlin. It hands Moscow chunks of Ukrainian territory, slaps strict limits on Kyiv’s military, and was drafted without Ukraine or Europe at the table. Capitulation masquerading as diplomacy.
Zelensky framed the dilemma with brutal clarity: Ukraine must choose between losing its major partner - the United States - or losing its dignity. In truth, no Ukrainian president could ever sign away sovereignty. But rejecting the Trump plan risks a devastating price: a cutoff of U.S. intelligence and military assistance at the very moment Russia is pounding frontline positions, cities, and critical infrastructure with renewed ferocity. Europe, still catching up on defence spending and weapons production, is nowhere near ready to fill the gap (don’t get me started on this point).
That’s the corner Ukraine finds itself in: squeezed between a White House willing to outsource Europe’s security to Moscow and a battlefield where every HIMARS rocket or Patriot radar can mean the difference between life and death. Little wonder the mood in Kyiv is growing increasingly bleak.
Words don’t stop Russian missiles the way Patriot missiles do.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin - predictably - has embraced the plan. Of course he has. It validates every war aim he’s been unable to achieve on the battlefield. It’s the diplomatic equivalent of that Alaska circus Trump staged for him weeks ago: a show designed for an audience of one.
The coming days will be crucial. If Mr. Trump and his team come to their senses, there may still be space for real diplomacy. If not, Ukraine faces one of the gravest decisions of its modern existence—with consequences that will reverberate far beyond its borders.
Watch European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen respond to my question on how the EU allowed itself to be sidelined by Washington’s Russia-tilted peace proposal. I also pressed her on why Ukraine’s allies waited so long to impose sanctions — and why support for Kyiv has resembled a drip-feed rather than a strategy. Finally, I asked how she sees Brussels’ role evolving amid this sudden and dramatic geopolitical shift.
In a 10-minute address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is “at one of the most difficult moments” in its history. He said Ukraine faces a choice of losing its major partner - the US - or the country’s dignity. He also stressed that he won’t betray his country’s national interests. It comes as the Ukrainian leader faces pressure to agree to the Trump administration’s 28-point peace plan for ending the war, which include a number of red lines for Kyiv. Ukraine, he says, will propose “alternatives” to the plan put forward by the Trump administration. “I will present arguments, I will persuade, I will propose alternatives,” Zelensky says. Recalling how he marshalled Kyiv’s response to Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 he adds: “We did not betray Ukraine then, we will not do so now.” - BBC
European leaders scrambled on Friday to respond to a White House proposal to end the war in Ukraine, a 28-point document that would give Russia most of what it has asked for, including the surrender of Ukrainian territory and sharp limits on Kyiv’s military. The plan, which Ukraine and Europe have said was drafted without their involvement, would require Kyiv to accept conditions that it and its European allies have long called unacceptable and tantamount to capitulation.
According to a draft posted online by a Ukrainian lawmaker, the proposal would require Ukraine to change its constitution to prohibit any effort to join NATO. It would force Kyiv to recognize Russian control of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, parts of which Ukraine still holds. And it would cap the size of the Ukrainian Army at 600,000, down from an estimated current strength of more than 800,000. The proposal would also bar the presence of NATO troops inside Ukraine, which would derail a European plan to help ensure the country’s postwar security. If Ukraine agrees to end the war, the proposal says, it would be given frozen Russian assets to help pay for its reconstruction. Kyiv would also receive what the plan calls reliable security guarantees, promising a military response if Russia invaded again but offering few details. If Moscow did invade again, the proposal says, sanctions would be reinstated and Moscow would lose benefits included in the agreement. Those sweeteners include major Russian goals like re-admittance to the Group of 8, reintegration into the global economy and joint investment opportunities with the United States - NYT
Watch my BBC Television live hit from today from the G20 Summit in South Africa, where I break down why the Trump peace plan, if adopted, would spell “game over” for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Tensions intensified between the US and South Africa after they exchanged conflicting remarks about whether American officials would attend the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg, Semafor reported. The dispute — centered on US President Donald Trump’s boycott of the meeting over disputed allegations that Pretoria discriminates against its white population — threatened to sap attention from the talks, which South African President Cyril Ramaphosa wants to focus on issues such as global inequality and debt restructuring. Yet the lack of high-level buy-in means any progress may be limited: Along with Trump, the leaders of Argentina, China, Indonesia, and Mexico are also skipping what will be the first G20 on African soil. If the Americans do participate it could be anywhere on the level of the U.S. ambassador to Pretoria all the way up to Trump himself. The absentee list creates an opportunity for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hog the spotlight - a position which wasn’t available during the BRICS summit here when Chinese President Xi Jinping dominated.
Experts have slammed the “shamefully weak” COP30 draft text for failing to mention fossil fuels at all. The chances of establishing a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels remain doubtful despite support “ramping up”. A new draft text on the outcome of COP30 negotiations has been released today, but all mentions of fossil fuels have been erased. The proposed deal has sparked heavy criticism from a range of experts and environmental organisations, who argue the text “may as well be blank” as it does little to prevent global temperatures from exceeding 1.5℃. - Euronews
Americans must not become numb to the president’s “strange behavior” amid the constant deluge of insults, death threats, and despotic tantrums from the commander-in-chief, CNN’s Jake Tapper warned. Even by Trump’s standards, this week has been a chaotic one, starting with the release of the Epstein Files and ending with him labeling a group of Democrats “traitors” whose crime should be “punishable by death” in a furious tirade on Truth Social. This isn’t normal behavior, Tapper explains. ”President Trump this morning seemed to be calling for the death of some of his political opponents, their execution,” the veteran anchor said in an X post filmed at his home. “He’s talking about a handful of House and Senate Democrats, with background in the military and the intelligence and the national security community, who put out a video saying that any members of the military or intelligence communities who are handed down illegal orders from their superiors should not carry out those orders.” “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday, moments after labeling the Democrats “traitors” and retweeting a post from a follower which read “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!” “That’s right, the president actually reposted a tweet that said, hang them,” Tapper pointed out that Trump’s outburst comes “in the midst of a week where the president has been displaying all sorts of unusual behavior.” - The Daily Beast
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum celebrated Friday the victory of Fátima Bosch Fernández of Mexico as Miss Universe 2025, applauding her as an example for women. Bosch’s win the previous night in Thailand was a vindication after the 25-year-old was scolded by the Thai national director earlier in the competition. Bosch walked out in response with other contestants following in solidarity. “I like that she spoke up when she felt that was an injustice and that is an example,” Mexico’s first woman president said during her daily news briefing. “That thing they said about being prettier when you’re quiet has been left behind. Women are prettier when we speak and we participate.” When Bosch was announced as the winner, cheers and screams erupted from the audience, with Mexican flags waved by elated supporters. Her home state of Tabasco, where thousands watched the competition from a local baseball stadium in southeast Mexico, partied into the night - AP
A newly crowned Cambodian beauty queen ignited a row after using her pageant stage to accuse Thailand of triggering border hostilities and detaining Cambodian troops. Chouri Laorhours, named Miss Teen Cambodia 2025, delivered a speech that quickly ruffled feathers in Thailand. A day after Ms Laorhours secured the title, organisers of the pageant released a video of her clutching the Cambodian flag and addressing the audience in Khmer. Speaking “on behalf of all Cambodian people”, she demanded the return of 18 soldiers allegedly held by Thailand. Switching to speaking in English, she declared: “Cambodia and Thailand have always lived together in peace, but now that peace has ended because Thailand started the war, something we never asked for. We do not want to fight. We want peace. We are not enemies. We are neighbours, human beings who deserve safety and a future free from hatred and war. Thank you.” - The Independent
The journals….
