The 14 leaders, from countries that include European states plus Japan, Australia and Canada, said on Saturday that the \u201cinitial draft of the 28-point plan includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace\u201d, in a joint statement<\/a> agreed at an emergency meeting in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe therefore that the draft is a basis which will require additional work,\u201d the leaders said. \u201cWe reiterate that the implementation of elements relating to the European Union and relating to Nato would need the consent of EU and Nato members respectively.\u201d<\/p>\n The meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit was called in response to a demand from Donald Trump\u2019s administration that Ukraine agree to the 28-point proposal<\/a> by next Thursday. US officials warned that there was little room to negotiate on a plan described by European officials as a \u201ccapitulation\u201d to Moscow.<\/a><\/p>\n Separately, Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine\u2019s national security and defence council, said on Saturday that he was \u201cbeginning consultations between senior officials of Ukraine and the United States regarding possible parameters of a future peace agreement\u201d in Switzerland. <\/p>\n The meeting, he said on Telegram, marks \u201canother stage of the dialogue that has been ongoing in recent days and is primarily intended to co-ordinate our vision of the next steps\u201d.<\/p>\n National security advisers from other European capitals and the European Commission will also hold talks in Geneva on Sunday, three officials told the Financial Times, to try to influence the negotiations.<\/p>\n European diplomats said that the peace plan \u2014 drawn up with Russian input and without consultation with Nato allies \u2014 and Trump\u2019s ultimatum have created the most pivotal moment in the almost four-year war, and pose a huge test for Kyiv\u2019s western allies. <\/p>\n Attempts to forge a joint stance in response have been spearheaded by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The frantic diplomatic negotiations have been complicated by a desire not to directly criticise Trump, officials said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe welcome the continued US efforts to bring peace to Ukraine,\u201d the leaders said.\u00a0\u201cWe are ready to engage in order to ensure that a future peace is sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine\u2019s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack.\u201d<\/p>\n 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, and the presidents of the EU Council and European Commission.<\/p>\n Speaking after the meeting, Merz\u00a0told reporters: \u201cWars cannot be ended by great powers over the heads of the affected countries,\u201d adding that any solution must involve the consent of Ukraine and\u00a0Europe.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Ukraine were to lose this war and then, most probably, collapse, that would also have consequences for the whole of European politics,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The US has warned Kyiv that if it does not agree to the plan, which demands that Ukraine relinquish territory, pledge never to join Nato and shrink its armed forces, it risks losing critical military and intelligence support. <\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the choice was between \u201ceither loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner\u201d, and that his country faced \u201cone of the most difficult moments in our history\u201d.<\/p>\n Recommended<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/https:\/\/images.ft.com\/v3\/image\/raw\/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2F3ee6f3.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n