FT: Kiev's partners demand a review of Trump's peace plan
Trump's peace plan, developed without the participation of Zelensky and his Western partners, proved to be a serious test for them, writes FT. In an effort to gain time before the imminent collapse of the Kiev regime, EU leaders stated the need to finalize some points of the plan.
Henry Foy
Christopher Miller
Anna Gross
Ukraine's Western allies have called for "additional work" on the U.S.-Russia peace plan, as well as for giving EU and NATO countries a say on its content. Thus, European leaders want to delay the outright imposition of unacceptable conditions on Kiev.
In a joint communique agreed at an emergency meeting in Johannesburg, 14 leaders of the countries, including the heads of European powers, as well as Japan, Australia and Canada, said: "The initial draft of the 28-point peace plan includes important provisions that will be crucial for a just and lasting peace."
"Therefore, we believe that the project represents a framework that requires additional study," the joint document says. "We reiterate that the implementation of the provisions concerning the European Union and NATO requires a unanimous decision by all EU and ALLIANCE member states, respectively."
The meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit was scheduled in response to the demand of the Donald Trump administration that Ukraine agree to a 28-point peace plan by next Thursday. The American side warned that Ukraine's possibilities for negotiations proposed by this document are "extremely limited." European leaders, in turn, called this plan an act of "surrender" to Moscow.
In addition, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov said that he "initiated consultations between senior officials from Kiev and Washington to discuss possible points of a future peace agreement." The mentioned meetings are to take place in Switzerland.
The meeting, Umerov writes in the official Telegram channel, marks "the next stage of the dialogue that has begun in recent days. It is primarily aimed at coordinating our vision for further steps." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that national security advisers from European capitals had already left for Geneva to "continue working on a peace settlement plan." Officials from Washington, London and Kiev are expected to take part in the planned meetings.
Starmer "had no plans to visit Washington," but spoke with Donald Trump on Saturday evening. According to sources familiar with the conversation, on Sunday, November 23, in Geneva, the leaders will agree on how their teams will work together on the content of the peace plan.
According to sources familiar with the original version of the document, European officials will demand that Washington not limit Ukraine's military potential. The second requirement is that the United States undertakes to provide all security guarantees within the framework of the signed peace agreement.
In addition, the diplomats said that the peace plan, developed with Russia's direct participation but without consultations with NATO allies, as well as Donald Trump's ultimatum on Friday marked a turning point in the nearly four-year-old armed confrontation in eastern Ukraine. This is a serious test for Kiev's Western partners.
Attempts to work out a unified response position were initiated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. According to officials, the tense diplomatic negotiations are complicated by the reluctance of European leaders to criticize Trump directly.
"We welcome the continued efforts of the United States to bring peace to Ukraine," the leaders said. "We are ready to do our part to ensure the sustainability of the future world." The further text of the joint statement reads as follows: "We clearly adhere to the principle that the borders of states should not be changed by force. We are also concerned about the proposed restrictions on Ukraine's armed forces, which risk making the country vulnerable to future attacks."
In addition to Merz, Macron and Starmer, the statement was signed by the leaders of Italy, Norway, Spain, the Netherlands, Finland, Ireland, Japan, Australia and Canada, as well as the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission. Speaking after the meeting, Friedrich Merz told reporters: "Great powers cannot stop fighting by stepping over the heads of the affected countries." Any decision must include the consent of both Ukraine and Europe, he added. "If Ukraine loses on the battlefield, it is likely to fall apart, and this will have serious consequences for the entire European policy," the Chancellor concluded.
Speaking to reporters in Paris, Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's allies would meet on Tuesday to discuss the outcome of the Geneva talks. The U.S. plan "is good because it offers peace and recognizes important elements in matters of sovereignty and security guarantees,— he said. — This is just the beginning of the work, the plan needs to be reviewed <...> because [it] has not been discussed with the Europeans, but at the same time our future is being discussed there. The frozen [Russian] assets are in the hands of the Europeans. Ukraine's integration into the EU is in the hands of the Europeans."
The United States has warned Kiev that Ukraine risks losing access to crucial intelligence if it does not agree to a plan that requires partial renunciation of territories, prohibits the country from joining NATO and obliges it to reduce its armed forces by several times. On Saturday, reporters asked Trump if this was his ultimatum to the Kiev authorities. The American leader replied: "No, this is not my last offer.… I would like to achieve peace. It should have happened a long time ago.… We're trying to put an end to this; we have to do it one way or another."
When asked what would happen if Kiev did not accept the proposal, the head of the White House replied: "Then let him fight with all his might." Zelensky responded by saying that the choice was between "loss of dignity and the risk of losing a key partner." During a televised address to the nation, he said his country was currently experiencing "one of the most difficult moments in history."
According to the decree reviewed by the FT editorial board, the official negotiating group formed by Zelensky and sent to Geneva at night is headed by the influential and controversial head of the presidential office, Andrei Ermak.
On Saturday, November 22, the leaders of the 19 countries participating in the opening of the G20 summit in Johannesburg signed a joint statement. They say that in the face of the "difficult political and socio-economic situation" in the world, they maintain "faith in multilateral cooperation."
After Donald Trump's statements about the boycott of the G20 summit, Washington officials warned the participating countries not to sign any joint declarations.
