Ukraine said Friday it would work with a U.S. delegation in Kyiv to study the new plan backed by President Donald Trump to end Russia’s war.
Rustem Umerov, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, urged allies to respect Kyiv’s position and stressed that it was still reviewing the proposal, whose sudden emergence has fueled unease across Europe.
The Kremlin remained tightlipped about its stance on the plan, which calls for major concessions from Kyiv.
“Yesterday, a conversation took place between the President of Ukraine and the U.S. delegation authorized by President Trump,” Umerov said in a post on X. “Today, this work continues in Kyiv at the technical level between the teams. We are carefully reviewing all proposals from our partners and expect the same respectful approach to Ukraine’s position.”
A senior U.S. official told NBC News that the plan was drawn up immediately following discussions with Umerov. He “agreed to the majority of the plan, after making several modifications, and presented it to President Zelenskyy,” the official said.
Umerov denied this Friday.
“During my visit to the United States, my role was technical — organizing meetings and preparing the dialogue. I provided no assessments or, even more so, approvals of any points. This is not within my authority and does not correspond to the procedure,” he said.
After meeting with the U.S. delegation, Umerov stressed that there could not be any solutions “outside the framework of sovereignty, security of people and our red lines.”
“This is the basis for any discussions,” he added. He did not spell out exactly what Ukraine’s “red lines” were.
Zelenskyy said late Thursday that he had “a very serious conversation” with the American delegation, led by U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
He said the U.S. side presented its proposals, and that he outlined Ukraine’s “key principles,” reiterating that his nation’s position was simple — “a real peace” that will hold.
