President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed back against a US plan to end the war in Ukraine, saying his country risked losing either its dignity or Washington as an ally.
With President Donald Trump giving Ukraine less than a week to sign, Zelenskyy on Friday pledged to work to ensure any deal would not "betray" Ukraine's interests.
"Right now is one of the most difficult moments in our history," Zelensky said in his address.
"The pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest. Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner," he said, warning of a break with Washington.
Zelenskyy added that he would propose alternatives to Trump's 28-point plan.
Kiev and its European allies were startled by the proposal — which would force Ukraine to give up land, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO.
Russia, meanwhile, would gain territory, be reintegrated into the global economy and rejoin the G8, under a draft of the plan.
Zelenskyy recalled how he marshalled Kiev's response to the Russian invasion in February 2022, saying "we did not betray Ukraine then, we will not do so now."
"I will present arguments, I will persuade, I will propose alternatives," he added.
Trump on Friday, meanwhile, urged Ukraine to accept his administration's plan, saying his counterpart in Kiev will "have to like it."
"He'll have to like it, and if he doesn't like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting," Trump told reporters who asked about Zelenskyy's less-than-enthusiastic response to his plan.
"At some point he's going to have to accept something," Trump added during the Oval Office meeting with New York City's future mayor Zohran Mamdani.
European powers pledge support for Ukraine
Zelenskyy said after talks with US Vice President JD Vance that Ukraine continues to "respect" Trump's desire to end the war.
He also held an emergency call with the German, French and British leaders as Europe, cut out of the process, scrambled to respond.
The Ukrainian leader plans to speak directly to Trump soon, his office has said.
The US plan envisages recognising territories controlled by Moscow as "de-facto" Russian, with Kiev pulling troops out of parts of the Donetsk region.
Kiev would also cap its army at 600,000, rule out joining NATO and have no NATO troops deployed to its territory.
In return, Ukraine would get unspecified "reliable security guarantees" and a fund for reconstruction using some Russia assets frozen in foreign accounts.
In a call with Zelenskyy, key allies Britain, France and Germany stressed their "unwavering and full support for Ukraine on the path to a lasting and just peace," said a joint statement after the talks.
