Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his nation faces “one of the most difficult moments in our history” as US president Donald Trump gave Kyiv until next Thursday to agree to end its war with Russia on terms that heavily favour the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said on Friday the U.S. plan for a settlement of the war in Ukraine was aimed at preventing more Ukrainian deaths and loss of territory.

KYIV/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said after talks with a top U.S. Army official on Thursday he was ready for "honest" work with Washington on a plan to end the war in Ukraine, while European allies pushed back against punishing concessions to Russia.

Oil prices fell about 2% on Friday to a one-month low as the US pushed for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal that could boost global oil supplies, while uncertainty over US interest rates curbed investors' risk appetite. Brent futures fell $1.05, or 1.7%, to $62.33 per barrel 2036 GMT, while US WTI crude slipped $1.17, or 2.0%, to $57.83.

After meeting a visiting U.S. delegation on Friday, Umerov said Kyiv would not accept a plan that violates its sovereignty. ZELENSKIY: WE ARE READY FOR 'CONSTRUCTIVE, HONEST' WORK Zelenskiy, who met a U.

A U.S. delegation led by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is in Kyiv on a "fact-finding mission", the U.S. embassy in Kyiv said. Army Chief of Staff General Randy George is also in the delegation and he and Driscoll will meet Zelenskiy on Thursday, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.