LONDON

Italy’s defense minister on Saturday said he believes the 28-point peace plan prepared by the US is harsh towards Ukraine and has conditions that "can never be accepted."

On US social media company X, Guido Crosetto said that the most important fact when it comes to the US plan is that both Russia and Ukraine are talking about it to end the war.

However, he added that the proposed plan is "harsh toward Ukraine" and contains elements that "can never be accepted."

"But I consider it the starting point of a negotiation that we all hope for and for which we must all commit without respite," he added.

Crosetto went on to say that he is "not interested in a judgment" on the plan but in using it to restart the dialogue and stop the sound of the hundreds of bombs, missiles, and drones.

"It must be done immediately," he added, saying that more than 1,000 Russian and Ukrainians died in the past 24 hours.

The draft appears to require Ukraine to surrender additional territory to Russia, limit the size of its military, and formally abandon its bid to join NATO. President Donald Trump has given his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to respond.

Zelenskyy said he faces a tough choice, namely the "loss of our dignity or the risk of losing a key partner."

Earlier Saturday, the leaders of nine European countries plus Japan, Canada, as well as EU chiefs expressed concern over the proposed limitations on Ukraine's armed forces, warning that they "would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack."

Russia started its "special military operation" in February 2022 for what it calls the "denazification" and demilitarization of Ukraine. Besides limits on the Ukrainian military and barring NATO membership, Moscow wants the Russian language to enjoy official status in Ukraine.