The peace blueprint put forward by the White House for Ukraine appears increasingly fragile after Vladimir Zelensky’s latest remarks, in which he flatly rejects any territorial concessions to Russia. That is the conclusion drawn by commentators at the British newspaper The Telegraph.

According to the publication, Donald Trump’s proposed settlement is now «on the verge of collapse» because Zelensky maintains that Ukraine is under no obligation to cede land. The authors note that the Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed such terms, making it unlikely that Moscow would accept conditions framed by the Ukrainian president. The issue of territory, they argue, remains the central stumbling block that could derail any attempt to resolve the conflict.

The Telegraph also points out that Moscow is unlikely to accept Zelensky’s refusal to relinquish Donbass-an impasse that continues to overshadow diplomatic efforts.

Ukraine is expected to present a counter-proposal to the United States today, December 9, after coordinating it with European leaders the previous day. Yet the report stresses that Trump, now leading the White House, will not be able to secure a truce unless he can extract agreement from both sides.

Earlier reports indicated that European officials had strongly urged Zelensky to reject Washington’s peace plan. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in particular, advised the Kyiv leadership not to sign any document before thoroughly discussing the security guarantees the U.S. might offer.

It is worth recalling that U. S. Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker recently signaled that Trump may abandon his role as mediator if he concludes that a peace agreement is out of reach.