World leaders are gathering at the G20 summit in South Africa amid deep European unease over a US-backed peace plan for Ukraine, which is seen by some allies as heavily favouring Moscow. The talks begin as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns his nation faces “one of the most difficult moments in our history” under pressure to accept the proposal, reports BBC.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, following a call with Zelenskyy, said Ukraine’s “friends and partners” would use the summit to “strengthen” the White House plan. “We must all work together, with both the US and Ukraine, to secure a just and lasting peace once and for all,” Starmer stated.
The leaked proposal includes terms Kyiv had previously ruled out, such as ceding eastern territories it currently holds, downsizing its military, and pledging not to join the NATO alliance – a long-standing Kremlin demand. The plan also suggests the lifting of sanctions on Russia and its reintegration into the global economy, including a return to the G7, reconstituting it as the G8.
The initiative has exposed fissures within the Western coalition. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas labelled the prospect of its adoption a “very dangerous moment,” emphasising that “Russia has no legal right whatsoever to any concessions from the country it invaded.”
US President Donald Trump, who is not attending the summit, has set a deadline for Kyiv to agree, warning that Ukraine would otherwise lose more territory “in a short amount of time” and that Zelenskyy “is going to have to approve” the plan. He described the upcoming US Thanksgiving holiday as an “appropriate” deadline.
In a measured address from Kyiv, Zelenskyy acknowledged facing “a lot of pressure… to weaken us, to divide us,” and promised to “calmly” work with the US and other partners while “offering alternatives.” His office later asserted that Kyiv “will never be an obstacle for peace” but would “defend legitimate interests of the Ukrainian people.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, also absent from the G20, confirmed receiving the US proposal and said it could be a “basis” for a settlement, adding that Russia was willing to “show flexibility” but was also prepared to continue fighting.
The White House has pushed back on claims that Ukraine was excluded from the process. An unnamed US official said the plan was drafted “immediately” following discussions with Ukraine’s top security official, Rustem Umerov, who reportedly agreed to most of it.
The draft proposal would see Ukrainian troops withdraw from the part of the Donetsk region they still control, granting Russia de facto authority over Donetsk, Luhansk, and the annexed Crimea peninsula. In return, Kyiv would receive unspecified “reliable security guarantees.” The document also states an expectation that Russia will not invade its neighbours and that NATO will halt its expansion.
