Ukraine and Europe Scramble to Counter US Plan to End War, as Putin Issues New Threats

Kyiv/Buenos Aires – Ukraine and its European allies scrambled this weekend to formulate a unified counter-proposal after US President Donald Trump presented Kyiv with an urgent deadline to approve a controversial peace plan that accedes to several of Russia’s core demands, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The 28-point US plan, a draft of which was seen by AFP, has created a deep rift within the Western coalition. While Russian leader Vladimir Putin has welcomed it as a potential “foundation” for a final settlement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is fiercely resisting a deal that would force his country to cede occupied territory, permanently cap the size of its military, and renounce its ambition to join NATO.

The diplomatic crisis prompted an emergency huddle on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met privately on Saturday to coordinate their response ahead of a wider meeting with other European leaders.

“The aim is to look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations,” Starmer said earlier in the day, signaling a desire to amend, rather than outright reject, the American framework.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck a more defiant tone, stating the allies must hold firm to the principle that “there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

A Plan and Its Pressures

The US proposal, as detailed in the draft, would effectively freeze the conflict along current front lines, recognizing the Ukrainian territories currently controlled by Moscow as de facto Russian. Kyiv would be required to withdraw its troops from parts of the Donetsk region still under its control and accept a hard cap of 600,000 personnel for its armed forces. Crucially, Ukraine would have to pledge never to join NATO, with no alliance troops permitted on its soil.

In return, Ukraine would receive unspecified “reliable security guarantees” from the US and its allies, and gain access to a reconstruction fund partially financed by frozen Russian sovereign assets.

The political pressure on Kyiv is immense. President Trump has given Ukraine less than a week to sign, suggesting the US Thanksgiving holiday on November 27 as an “appropriate” deadline. He displayed a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, telling reporters, “He’ll have to like it, and if he doesn’t like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting. At some point he’s going to have to accept something.”

Pushing back against the criticism, US Vice President JD Vance claimed detractors of the plan “either misunderstand the framework or misstate some critical reality on the ground.” He articulated a growing sentiment in Washington, stating, “There is a fantasy that if we just give more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, victory is at hand.”

Zelenskyy’s Dilemma and Putin’s Threats

In a solemn address to the nation, President Zelenskyy acknowledged Ukraine faces “one of the most challenging moments in its history.” He pledged to propose alternatives to Trump’s plan and work to ensure any final deal would not “betray” Ukraine’s interests, while tacitly acknowledging the risk of losing Washington as a vital ally.

“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,” Zelenskyy said, capturing the existential nature of the dilemma.

A top Ukrainian official announced that a delegation led by Zelenskyy’s chief aide, Andriy Yermak, would launch urgent talks with US officials in Switzerland to discuss pathways to end the war.

Meanwhile, the man who would benefit most from the deal, Vladimir Putin, voiced his approval but coupled it with a stark warning. In a televised meeting with his security council, he declared that Ukraine and its allies “are still living under illusions and dreaming of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield.” He threatened that if Kyiv walked away from negotiations, Russia’s recent recapture of the eastern city of Kupiansk “will inevitably be repeated in other key areas of the front line.” The Ukrainian military denies the city has fallen.

A Nation Under Strain on Multiple Fronts

The high-stakes diplomacy unfolds against a grim backdrop for Ukraine. On the battlefield, the better-equipped and larger Russian army is slowly but steadily gaining ground across the lengthy frontline.

At home, Ukrainians are bracing for one of the toughest winters since the full-scale invasion began, as Moscow has launched a brutal bombing campaign targeting the country’s energy infrastructure, threatening widespread blackouts and heating shortages.

This external pressure is compounded by internal political turmoil. A sweeping corruption probe that has unveiled deep graft in the energy sector is unraveling in Kyiv, sparking public outcry and sapping morale at a critical time.

The confluence of military, diplomatic, and domestic challenges leaves Zelenskyy’s government in an unprecedentedly precarious position, forced to weigh the survival of its state against the sovereignty of its territory.

  Donate Here