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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected talks on a new American proposal for a peace settlement

US and Russian officials have drawn up a new plan to end the war in Ukraine, which would require Kiev to surrender some territory and drastically reduce the size of its military. The news comes as Russian drone and rocket attacks have killed at least 25 people in the city of Ternopil.

According to the draft plan, reportedly developed by Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin adviser Kiril Dmitriyev, Ukraine would be forced to accept somewhat unacceptable terms that would give Russia unprecedented control over its military and political sovereignty. The plan will almost certainly be seen as a capitulation in Kyiv.

However, it remains unclear whether the Trump administration has officially endorsed the plan.

The"Financial Times" and "Reuters" announced that the proposal would require Ukraine to cede the territories it currently controls in the east of the country and to cut its army in half - conditions that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously called completely unacceptable. Among other conditions, there are restrictions on American military aid, as well as certain types of weapons that Ukraine is allowed to use.

Washington has repeatedly suggested that a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is close, but the proposals failed because they largely met Russian demands while demanding painful concessions from Kiev.

An unfavorable moment for the story of peace

News of the draft came as Russia launched a massive attack on western Ukraine, targeting multiple high-rise buildings in Ternopil, as well as energy facilities in Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv. Russia is leading a systematic campaign to destroy Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure before winter.

Oleg Hritishshin, who lives on the sixth floor of one of the affected buildings, said thick smoke immediately cut off all evacuation routes, leaving him trapped in his apartment.

- Strong explosions were heard. When I tried to get dressed, there was thick black smoke in the hallway. It was burning. It was not possible to exit, although I tried twice. The windows in the apartment were not broken. I knocked on the neighbors, but no one answered me - he said.

When he managed to get outside, doctors treated him for high blood pressure.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that 25 people, including three children, were killed in the attack, while 73 were injured, including 15 children.

Witness Jaroslav Teslyuk said that the attack happened around 5:30 in the morning, while most people were sleeping.

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- I heard a loud rumble. Then there was the sound of several rockets, and then explosions. A fire started. They told me that some people were burned in their apartments because the attack happened while everyone was sleeping. The bodies were covered. Some have already been taken away - he revealed.

"The pressure on Russia is insufficient"

Zelensky, who met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday in what he said was an attempt to"re-invigorate negotiations" and secure a "just peace" for Ukraine, called on allies to step up pressure on Russia to end the nearly four-year-old invasion, including the delivery of more anti-aircraft systems.

Volodymyr Zelensky

- Every brazen attack on ordinary people shows that the pressure on Russia is insufficient. Effective sanctions and assistance to Ukraine can change that - said the President of Ukraine.

Kiev and Moscow have not held direct talks since the summer, and attempts to revive the diplomatic process have largely been frozen since the last meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August. Despite the Kremlin's claims that it is open to negotiations to end the war, Moscow has shown no willingness to soften its far-reaching demands.

Zelensky is in an increasingly difficult situation both in the country and at the front. Russian forces have recently advanced into the strategically important city of Pokrovsk and are continuing to press along the front line, while the affair in the energy sector has turned into the most serious political crisis in Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

Zelensky rejects US plan

The special envoy of the President of the United States, Steve Witkoff, did not hold a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after it became clear that the Ukrainian leader did not intend to discuss a new American plan for solving the Ukrainian crisis, writes Axios, citing a source.

Steve Witkoff

- The meeting was postponed when it became clear that Zelensky was not interested in discussing Trump's plan. Instead, Zelensky traveled to Ankara with another plan that he developed together with European partners, which Russia will never accept - said the American official.

Peskov and Zakharova spoke out

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that there have been no new initiatives regarding a peace settlement since the meeting between Russian and US presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska, where this topic was already discussed.

- For now, there is no news about that that we can tell you - he said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also said it was not aware of any new US peace proposal. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow had not received any draft agreement on Ukraine"of that level" from Washington.

- If the American side had proposals, they would have been communicated through established diplomatic channels between our two countries - she said.