The president of Ukraine has to make the most difficult decision of his political career in the next 6 days Volodymyr Zelensky. This is the window of time that Donald Trump set for him, until Thanksgiving, in other words, to decide whether to accept the plan for peace, which however provides for large territorial concessions…
“I had a lot of deadlines, but if things are going well, you tend to extend them. But Thursday is the right time,” Donald Trump said on the show on Fox News Radio, talking about the 6-day deadline he gave Volodymyr Zelensky to decide on the future of Ukraine.
“Now is one of the most difficult times in our history. Now, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the most intense. Now, Ukraine may face a very difficult choice – either lose its dignity or risk losing an important partner.” he said in a speech early Friday afternoon (11/21/25) the Ukrainian president, as talks over a US peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine intensify.
Ukraine’s “yes” gives Russia an area equal to Luxembourg without a fight
Russia could, thanks to a US plan for Ukraine, seize without a fight an area almost equivalent to the surface of Luxembourg, according to an analysis by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) of data made available by the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which works with the Critical Threats Project (CTP).
The plan, seen by AFP, mainly calls for the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from territory it still controls, leading to a net gain of around 2,300 square kilometers for Moscow, almost the size of Luxembourg (2,590 km2), without a fight.
Kiev would also have to give up nearly 5,000 square kilometers under its control in Donetsk Oblast, which would then be used to create a “neutral zone” and a 45-square-kilometer enclave in Luhansk Oblast. These concessions include the large cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
In return, Moscow would cede to Ukraine nearly 2,000 square kilometers it claims or at least partially controls in Kharkiv Oblast, 450 square kilometers in Dnipropetrovsk, 300 square kilometers in Sumy and 20 square kilometers in Chernihiv.
The document also calls for recognizing Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as de facto Russian. It also cedes to Russia vast tracts of territory it currently controls in the Kherson and Zaporizhia Oblasts.
Ultimately, the plan proposed by Washington would finalize Ukraine’s relinquishment of 20% of its territory, to regain less than 0.5%.
Since the beginning of November, the Russian army has advanced about 400 km2 into Ukrainian territory, at a faster pace compared to the months of September and October. As of November 20, it fully or partially controlled 19.3% of Ukrainian territory. About 7% of Crimea and areas of Donbas were already under Russian control before the invasion began in February 2002.
Putin: Threats to seize more territory if Ukraine refuses
The president of Russia Vladimir Putin declared that he received the American plan for Ukraine and according to him, this proposal can “form a basis for a final settlement” of the war.
As the Russian president pointed out, the text was not discussed with the US, while he claimed that Ukraine is against it.
Putin underlined how Russia is ready for a peaceful settlement of the warbut the details of the plan must be discussed. The Russian president has threatened that his country’s forces will seize more territory if Ukraine rejects the US plan.
Trump: If Zelensky doesn’t like it, they should keep fighting
Late on Friday night (Greece time), the American president was asked about the peace plan proposed by the US for peace in Ukraine, after the meeting he had with the elected mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani.
“We believe we have a way to achieve peace. He would have to approve it,” Trump said.
As for the difficult decision the Ukrainian president is being asked to make, the American president replied: “You mean Zelensky doesn’t like it? He’s got to like it, and if he doesn’t, I guess then they’ll have to keep fighting.”
Trump on Zelensky:
He’ll have to like the deal.
And if he doesn’t like, they should just keep fighting.pic.twitter.com/BCY82idbfL
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 21, 2025
EU leaders are meeting on Saturday (22/11/25) for peace in Ukraine
European Union leaders will meet on Saturday (22/11/25) on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg to discuss the situation in Ukraine, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said.
“We spoke to President Zelensky. We discussed the current situation and we are clear that nothing should be done about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Costa and von der Leyen said in a post on the X platform.
Together with @eucopresidentwe have spoken to President @ZelenskyyUA
From day one, Europe has stood with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.
We have been working for a just and sustainable peace with Ukraine and for Ukraine together with our friends and partners.…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 21, 2025
«Nothing should be decided about Ukraine without Ukraine“, emphasized the president of the Commission after the telephone conversation with Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president said he had briefed the president of the European Commission and the president of the European Council on Trump’s plan to end nearly four years of Russian invasion.
“In terms of next steps, European leaders will meet tomorrow on the sidelines of the G20, then in Angola,” where a summit of the European Union and the African Union will be held, Ursula von der Leyen said on Platform X.