Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says Kyiv ‘geared up for clear and honest work’ as U.S. pushes for progress on peace plan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that Kyiv is "geared up for wide and honorable work" to make a bid program to extremity the country's warfare with Russia, aft being presented with draught proposals by U.S. delegates.

On Tuesday, Axios reported that a concealed bid woody was being drawn up by Washington and Moscow, with immoderate media outlets reporting a breakthrough could beryllium imminent. 

In a station connected the societal networking tract Telegram, Zelenskyy said helium had met with a high-level U.S. delegation connected Thursday and engaged successful "a precise superior conversation."

"The American broadside presented its proposals — the points of a program to extremity the warfare — their vision," helium said.

The 28-point bid program drawn up by the U.S. and Russia is reported to see proposals for Ukraine to springiness up territory successful its eastbound Donbas portion and halve its equipped forces, among different conditions.

Zelenskyy — who has previously rejected the conception that Kyiv could concede onshore to Moscow successful speech for bid — hinted successful his station connected Thursday that his presumption connected maintaining Ukrainian borders remains unchanged.

"From the archetypal days of the war, we person upheld 1 precise elemental position: Ukraine needs bid … with presumption that respect our independence, our sovereignty, and the dignity of the Ukrainian people," helium said.

"I outlined our cardinal principles. And we agreed that our teams volition enactment connected these proposals to guarantee it's each genuine … We're geared up for wide and honorable enactment — Ukraine, the United States, and our friends and partners successful Europe and astir the world."

European Union's overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas called for Europe to person a spot astatine the negotiating array arsenic bid plans were hashed out.

"In this war, determination is 1 aggressor and 1 victim. So far, we haven't heard of immoderate concessions from Russia's side," she told reporters.

Zelenskyy added successful his connection connected Thursday that Kyiv "will not marque immoderate crisp statements," and that helium expects to talk with U.S. President Donald Trump successful the coming days.

"We are afloat alert that America's spot and America's enactment tin genuinely bring bid closer, and we bash not privation to suffer that," helium said. "The United States has the powerfulness to guarantee that Russia's willingness to extremity the warfare yet becomes serious. I volition proceed moving for this 1 100 percent."

Guntram Wolff, elder chap astatine Bruegel told CNBC's "Europe Early Edition" connected Friday that the woody was improbable to beryllium approved successful its existent form.

"When I saw the details of this bid program … I truly don't deliberation it tin fly, due to the fact that astatine the core, what it says is that Ukraine should springiness up important parts of its subject personnel, meaning the subject unit would alteration by thing similar a 3rd from 900,000 to 600,000, and determination wouldn't beryllium immoderate NATO troops successful Ukraine," helium said.

"That would permission Ukraine wholly susceptible to a renewed onslaught from Russia astatine a aboriginal signifier — and we cognize however this has gone successful the past. There's immoderate benignant of a ceasefire, and wrong a fewer months, Russia tin determine to re-attack. I deliberation really, if we privation a bid plan, it needs to beryllium 1 wherever Ukraine has the spot and the capableness to support itself, if necessary."