Ukraine and Europe scramble to respond to US plan to end Russia's war
Ukraine and its allies are working to coordinate a response to a plan proposed by the US to end Russia's war. (Reuters: Sarah Meyssonnier)
In short:
Ukraine and its European allies are working to coordinate a response to a plan proposed by the US to end Russia's war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed back against the plan, which would force Ukraine to give up land and pledge never to join NATO.
What's next?
Kyiv will launch talks with the US in Switzerland on Saturday to discuss ways to end the war.
Ukraine and its European allies have scrambled to come up with counter-proposals after US President Donald Trump gave Kyiv a tight deadline to approve a deal to end the war that accepts some of Russia's hardline demands.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed back against the 28-point US plan.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has welcomed the proposal, which would force Ukraine to give up land, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met on Saturday on the sidelines of a G20 summit in South Africa, the French presidency said.
Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and Alexander Stubb in discussion on the G20 sidelines. (Henry Nicholls/pool via Reuters)
The huddle was held ahead of a wider meeting on the same topic that would include other European leaders, the presidency said.
Sir Keir had earlier said the aim was to "look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations".
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the allies should make it clear "that there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine".
US Vice-President JD Vance reacted to the criticism of the plan, saying it "either misunderstands the framework or misstates some critical reality on the ground".
"There is a fantasy that if we just give more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, victory is at hand,"he added.
Ukraine faces one of the most challenging moments in its history, Mr Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation, adding that he would propose alternatives to Mr Trump's proposal.
A top Ukrainian official said on Saturday Kyiv would launch talks with the US in Switzerland to discuss ways to end the war. The delegation will be led by Mr Zelenskyy's top aide, Andriy Yermak.
Better equipped and larger in numbers, the Russian army is slowly but steadily gaining ground across the lengthy front line.
Ukrainians were meanwhile facing one of the toughest winters since the war began, as Moscow carried out a brutal bombing campaign against energy infrastructure.
This comes as a sweeping corruption probe that unveiled graft in the energy sector was unravelling in Kyiv, sparking public outcry.
Mr Trump has given Ukraine less than a week to sign.
Mr Zelenskyy pledged to work to ensure any deal would not "betray" Ukraine's interests, acknowledging he risked losing Washington as an ally.
'He'll have to like it'
Russia would gain territory, be reintegrated into the global economy and rejoin the G8, under a draft of the plan seen by AFP.
Mr Putin said the blueprint could "lay the foundation" for a final peace settlement, but threatened more land seizures if Ukraine walked away from negotiations.
"Ukraine and its European allies are still living under illusions and dreaming of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield," Mr Putin said in a televised meeting with his security council.
Vladimir Putin has threatened more land seizures if Ukraine walked away from negotiations. (Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/pool via Reuters)
If Kyiv walks away, Russia claimed its recent recapturing of the Ukrainian city Kupiansk "will inevitably be repeated in other key areas of the front line", Putin added.
The Ukrainian army denies Russia has retaken Kupiansk, which Kyiv lost to Moscow the day it launched its invasion in 2022, then wrested back.
Mr Trump said that November 27 — when the United States celebrates Thanksgiving — was an "appropriate time" to set for Mr Zelenskyy to agree a deal, but he indicated it could be flexible.
"He'll have to like it, and if he doesn't like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting," Mr Trump told reporters.
"At some point he's going to have to accept something."
'Loss of dignity'
Earlier this week, Russia carried out one of its deadliest attacks this year and one of the worst on western Ukraine since the invasion.
Thirty-two people died in the western city of Ternopil after cruise missiles slammed into apartment blocks.
To end the war, the US plan envisages recognising territories controlled by Moscow as "de facto" Russian, with Kyiv pulling troops out of parts of the Donetsk region.
Ukraine 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.
"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," Mr Zelenskyy said in his address.
AFP