In the most dramatic diplomatic shift since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly four years ago, the United States is privately urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to accept a draft peace framework that would force Ukraine to cede territory and scale back its military, according to two Reuters sources.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks, said Washington wants Kyiv to accept “the main points” of a U.S.-designed plan that would end the war but require Ukraine to relinquish land seized by Russia and limit future defensive capabilities, including reductions in the size of its armed forces.

The blueprint, discussed between U.S. and Russian officials without Kyiv’s involvement, would mark a stunning reversal of Western rhetoric promising Ukraine “as long as it takes” support for victory. Instead, it pressures Zelenskiy to negotiate from a position of weakness as Russian forces continue to advance, killing 25 people in overnight strikes and pushing deeper into eastern Ukraine.

A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters earlier that Kyiv has received “signals” about U.S. proposals that Ukraine did not help draft. “Ukraine has had no role in preparing” the framework, the official said.

The plan arrives at a precarious moment for Zelenskiy. Facing battlefield strain and a political crisis at home, Ukraine’s parliament dismissed its energy and justice ministers Wednesday amid an expanding corruption scandal. The turmoil has eroded confidence domestically and internationally, making Kyiv more vulnerable to outside pressure.

News of Washington’s push sent Ukraine’s government bond prices soaring—the sharpest rise in months—as investors interpreted the move as the first credible pathway to stabilizing the country’s economy, even if it comes at a significant geopolitical cost.

But while markets rallied, Ukrainian officials did not. Zelenskiy has repeatedly said Ukraine will not surrender land or security guarantees, particularly Russia’s demands that Kyiv abandon its bid to join NATO and withdraw troops from four regions Moscow claims as its own. The Kremlin has shown no indication it is willing to soften those demands.

Zelenskiy held talks Wednesday in Turkey with President Tayyip Erdogan, a key regional interlocutor. He is expected to meet U.S. Army officials in Kyiv on Thursday. The timing suggests Washington is escalating its push for Kyiv to accept the framework—even as Russia continues bombing Ukrainian cities and expanding its occupation.

No direct peace talks have been held between Kyiv and Moscow since July meetings in Istanbul. Yet diplomatic efforts are accelerating, driven not by concessions from Russia, but by U.S. impatience, European war fatigue, and a grinding battlefield stalemate that Kyiv is struggling to reverse.

If the U.S. succeeds in pressuring Ukraine to accept a deal built around territorial loss and demilitarization, it would mark the first negotiated redrawing of European borders by force in the 21st century. Critics warn such a compromise would embolden Russia, validate its invasion, and destabilize the entire region by proving that military aggression yields geopolitical rewards.

But with Western capitals increasingly focused on exiting the conflict—and with Ukraine bogged down by scandal, shortages, and shrinking firepower—Kyiv may soon face an impossible choice: accept a peace that favors Moscow or continue fighting a war that Western allies appear less willing to support.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)