The European Union’s top diplomat has warned President Donald Trump that Europe and Ukraine need to support a peace deal with Russia for it to work.
Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said in Brussels on Thursday: “What we as Europeans have always supported is a long-lasting and just peace, and we welcome any efforts to achieve that. Of course, for any plan to work, it needs Ukrainians and Europeans on board. So, this is very clear.”
Kallas’ remarks follow reports that the United States is working with Russia to draw up new plans to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine. The plan may require Kyiv to concede swathes of the Donbas region—its industrial heartland—to Moscow, among other major concessions.
Loading twitter content…
Why It Matters
Ukraine and Europe have long been concerned that they could be cut out of talks to end the war, and that a U.S.-brokered deal directly with Russia could damage their interests.
Trump has broadly overseen a thaw in relations with the Kremlin, and has been mostly reluctant to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to compromise at the negotiating table. However, the White House did implement new sanctions on Moscow last month, and Trump has criticized Russian missile attacks in Ukraine.
What To Know
Kallas also said on Thursday ahead of a Foreign Affairs Council meeting: “We have to understand that in this war there is one aggressor and one victim, so we haven’t heard of any concessions on the Russian side.”
She added: “If Russia really wanted peace, it could have agreed to an unconditional ceasefire already some time ago, whereas we see again over this night bombings of civilians—93 percent of Russian targets have been civilian infrastructure; schools, hospitals, apartment buildings to really kill a lot of people and cause a lot of suffering.”
The peace plan, outlined in 28 points, would reportedly grant Russia parts of eastern Ukraine, in exchange for a security guarantee, Axios reported, citing a U.S. official familiar with the situation.
Specifically, it outlines Russia as gaining de facto control of Luhansk and Donetsk, which are referred to as the Donbas, but Ukraine would not be asked to publicly acknowledge it. The U.S. and international community would recognize Crimea and the Donbas as Russian territory. Currently, the U.S. State Department considers Crimea Ukrainian.
The Axios report noted that in two other front-line regions, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the “current lines of control would mostly be frozen in place, with Russia returning some land.”
A Ukrainian official reportedly noted that the plan would also limit the size of the Ukrainian military and its long-range weapons in return for U.S. security guarantees. The report did not detail what the U.S. security guarantee entails.
Such a plan would represent a major setback for Ukraine as it continues to battle Russian gains along its eastern front line.
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X on Wednesday following a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “I am grateful to President Erdogan for today’s visit and our conversation. We greatly value Turkey’s involvement in the diplomatic work and all its efforts. We discussed in detail the real ways to bring the war to a reliable and dignified end.
“Since the beginning of this year, we in Ukraine have supported every decisive step and the leadership of President Trump, every strong and fair proposal aimed at ending this war. And only President Trump and the United States have sufficient power to make this war come to an end.
“Today, President Erdogan proposed conversation formats, which I supported, and it is important for us that Turkey is ready to provide the necessary platform. We are also ready to work in any other meaningful formats that could yield results.
“But the most important factor for stopping the bloodshed and achieving lasting peace is that we work in close coordination with all partners, and that American leadership remains effective, strong, and brings us closer to a peace that endures and ensures security for the people.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X on Wednesday: “Ending a complex and deadly war such as the one in Ukraine requires an extensive exchange of serious and realistic ideas. And achieving a durable peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions. That is why we are and will continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides of this conflict.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday: “So far there are no innovations on this that can be reported to you.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “If the American side had come up with proposals, they would have been communicated through the established diplomatic channels between our two countries.”
What Happens Next
It remains unclear when the plan will be revealed publicly, and whether Russia and Ukraine will agree to the deal.