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Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 22, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba LEASING FOR NEW AND USED VEHICLES SCAN THE QR CODE TO START SHOPPING OR CALL (204) 663-6185 A2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025 VOL 155 NO 9 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 2025 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published six days a week in print and always online at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 204-697-7000 CEO / MIKE POWER Editor / PAUL SAMYN Associate Editor Enterprise / SCOTT GIBBONS Associate Editor News / STACEY THIDRICKSON Associate Editor Digital News / WENDY SAWATZKY Director Photo and Multimedia / MIKE APORIUS NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL The Winnipeg Free Press is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to determine acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. 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Call or email before 10 a.m. weekdays or 11 a.m. Saturday City: 204-697-7001 Outside Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 press 1 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.; 7 a.m. - noon Saturday; Closed Sunday TO SUBSCRIBE: 204-697-7001 Out of Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 fpcirc@freepress.mb.ca The Free Press receives support from the Local Journalism Initiative funded by the Government of Canada INSIDE Arts and Life D1 Books G1 Business B4 Celebrations D5 Classifieds E7 Comics I3-7 Community Voices A19 Destinations I1 Diversions G6-8 Faith G5 Homes H1 Horoscope D5 Miss Lonelyhearts D5 Obituaries C1 Opinion A8-9 Real Estate H5 Sports E1 Television D7 Weather D8 49.8 F1 COLUMNISTS: Dan Lett A4 David McLaughlin A9 Gwynne Dyer A9 Laura Rance B5 Joel Schlesinger B7 Tory McNally B8 Ben Sigurdson D2 Jen Zoratti D3 Mike McIntyre/Ken Wiebe E2 Melissa Martin F6 Russell Wangersky F6 READER SERVICE ● GENERAL INQUIRIES 204-697-7000 Says U.S. plan forces nation to confront ‘losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner’ Zelenskyy: Ukraine faces stark choice K YIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian Presi- dent Volodymyr Zelenskyy told his country in an address Friday it could face a pivotal choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs, as leaders discuss a U.S. peace proposal seen as favouring Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, cautiously welcomed the U.S. plan to end Moscow’s nearly four- year war in Ukraine, which contains many of the Kremlin’s longstanding demands while offering limited secur- ity guarantees to Ukraine. Putin said it “could form the basis of a final peace settlement,” while accusing Ukraine of opposing the plan and being unrealistic. The plan foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia — something Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out — while reducing its army’s size and blocking its coveted path to NATO membership. Zelenskyy, in his address hours earli- er, did not reject the plan outright, but insisted on fair treatment while pledging to “work calmly” with Washington and other partners in what he called “truly one of the most difficult moments in our history.” He said he spoke for almost an hour Friday with U.S. Vice-President JD Vance and Army Secretary Dan Dris- coll about the peace proposal. “Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest,” Zelenskyy said in the recorded speech. “Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.” Speaking at Russia National Security Council meeting, Putin called the plan “a new version” and “a modernized plan” of what was discussed with the U.S. ahead of his Alaska summit with President Donald Trump in August, and said Moscow has received it. “I be- lieve that it, too, could form the basis for a final peace settlement,” he said. But he said the “text has not been dis- cussed with us in any substantive way, and I can guess why,” adding that Wash- ington has so far been unable to gain Ukraine’s consent. “Ukraine is against it. Apparently, Ukraine and its Euro- pean allies are still under illusions and dream of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield,” Putin said. Trump said Zelenskyy is going to have to come to terms with the U.S. pro- posal, and if he doesn’t, “they should just keep fighting, I guess.” Asked by reporters about Zelenskyy saying his country faces a difficult choice, Trump alluded to their tense meeting in February that led to a brief rupture in the U.S.-Ukraine relation- ship: “You remember right in the Oval Office not so long ago? I said you don’t have the cards.” Trump in a radio interview earlier Friday said he wants an answer from Zelenskyy on his 28-point plan by Thursday, but said an extension is pos- sible to finalize terms. “I’ve had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to ex- tend the deadlines,” Trump said in an interview on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio. “But Thursday is it — we think an appropriate time.” While Zelenskyy has offered to ne- gotiate with the U.S. and Russia, he signalled Ukraine has to confront the possibility of losing American support if it makes a stand. He urged Ukrainians to “stop fight- ing” each other, in a possible reference to a major corruption scandal that has brought fierce criticism of the govern- ment, and said peace talks next week “will be very difficult.” Zelenskyy spoke earlier by phone with the leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom, who assured him of their continued support, as European officials scrambled to re- spond to the U.S. proposals that appar- ently caught them unawares. Wary of antagonizing Trump, the European and Ukrainian leaders cau- tiously worded responses and pointedly commended American peace efforts. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Star- mer assured Zelenskyy of “their un- changed and full support on the way to a lasting and just peace” in Ukraine, Merz’s office said. The four leaders welcomed U.S. ef- forts to end the war. “In particular, they welcomed the commitment to the sovereignty of Ukraine and the read- iness to grant Ukraine solid security guarantees,” the statement added. The line of contact must be the depar- ture point for an agreement, they said, and “the Ukrainian armed forces must remain in a position to defend the sover- eignty of Ukraine effectively.” Starmer said the right of Ukraine to “determine its future under its sover- eignty is a fundamental principle.” European countries see their own fu- tures at stake in Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion and have insisted on being consulted in peace efforts. “Russia’s war against Ukraine is an existential threat to Europe. We all want this war to end. But how it ends matters,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in Brussels. “Russia has no legal right whatsoever to any conces- sions from the country it invaded. Ul- timately, the terms of any agreement are for Ukraine to decide.” Trump in his radio interview pushed back against the notion that the settle- ment, which offers plentiful conces- sions to Russia, would embolden Putin to carry out further malign action on his European neighbours. “He’s not thinking of more war,” Trump said of Putin. “He’s thinking punishment. Say what you want. I mean, this was supposed to be a one- day war that has been four years now.” A European government official said the U.S. plans weren’t officially pre- sented to Ukraine’s European backers. Many of the proposals are “quite con- cerning,” the official said, adding that a bad deal for Ukraine would also be a threat to broader European security. The official was not authorized to discuss the plan publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. European Council President Antonio Costa, in Johannesburg, said of the U.S. proposals, “The European Union has not been communicated any plans in (an) official manner.” “This so-called ‘peace plan’ has real problems, and I am highly skeptical it will achieve peace,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Ukraine should not be forced to give up its lands to one of the world’s most fla- grant war criminals in Vladimir Putin.” Wicker added that Ukraine should be allowed to determine the size of its mil- itary and Putin should not be rewarded with assurances from the U.S. Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said there’s “general con- cern and alarm that this is a Russian wish list proposal.” Ukrainian officials said they were weighing the U.S. proposals, and Zelen- skyy said he expected to talk to Trump about it in coming days. A U.S. team began drawing up the plan soon after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Rustem Ume- rov, a top adviser to Zelenskyy, accord- ing to a senior Trump administration official who was not authorized to com- ment publicly and spoke on the condi- tion of anonymity. The official added that Umerov agreed to most of the plan, after mak- ing several modifications, and then presented it to Zelenskyy. However, Umerov on Friday denied that version of events. He said he only organized meetings and prepared the talks. He said technical talks between the U.S. and Ukraine were continuing in Kyiv. — The Associated Press ILLIA NOVIKOV AND BARRY HATTON OZAN KOSE / AFP FILES Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not reject the U.S. plan outright, but insists on fair treatment while pledging to ‘work calmly’ with Washington and other partners. ;