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Any final agreement between the US and Ukraine, backed by Europe, would still need Russian approval
James C. ReynoldsSunday 23 November 2025 23:18 GMTComments
CloseMarco Rubio appraises Ukraine peace talks in Geneva
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Donald Trump’s latest plan to end the war in Ukraine came as a shock to Kyiv’s international backers after 10 months of trying to negotiate careful compromise.
The 28-point plan seems to cater to Russia’s hardline positions, offering Ukraine very few of the security guarantees it says it needs to ensure a lasting peace.
Britain, France and Germany were left out of the conversations that produced the US proposal for peace but within hours, the E3 nations had pulled together a counteroffer.
The clock is ticking for Ukraine to come to some agreement by Thursday. Europe’s response needed to come soon, and it needed to show that they were still playing on Mr Trump’s terms.
By Sunday, a revision had emerged. It took the US plan as its basis and made steady amends, with several notable differences.
open image in galleryThe E3 leaders spoke on Saturday before a draft peace plan emerged on Sunday (PA Wire)There is still little tangible detail on Ukraine’s security guarantees at this stage. However, the new offer makes more room for Nato in Ukraine’s future - a worry for Russia which has become a ‘no’ for Washington.
Europe’s plan says that Ukraine joining Nato would depend on consensus among members, which it acknowledges does not currently exist. Nato would agree not to permanently station troops in Ukraine in peacetime, but space is apparently left for the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ to have more involvement.
Under the US proposal, Ukraine would have to bind itself constitutionally to not joining Nato. Ukraine also could not have any Nato peacekeepers on the ground, against Europe’s offer.
European leaders left unchanged the item about Ukraine’s eligibility for EU membership.
They did remove the point that there would be an “expectation” that Russia would not invade its neighbours. They also appear to have taken out the clause writing off the security guarantees if Ukraine launches a missile at Moscow or St. Petersburg.
open image in galleryRussia has stuck firm to its maximalist demands from Ukraine after nearly four years of fighting (Ukrainian 24th Mechanised brigade)The language on Ukraine’s rebuilding is firmer. The new proposal says Ukraine must be “fully” reconstructed and compensated financially, including through Russian sovereign assets.
The point on the US receiving profits from an investment programme appeared to have been left out in the revision.
The proposal is otherwise keen to continue with non-proliferation, directed at both Ukraine and Russia. One slight amend is to cap Ukraine’s military at 800,000 - around the size it has now - instead of the 600,000 proposed by the US.
The European deal leaves untouched the US proposals on returning all civilian detainees and hostages, and the family reunification programme.
The Trump proposal had called for Ukraine to hold fresh elections 100 days from signing an agreement. The European proposal is more flexible, stating that it occur as “as soon as possible”.
For Volodymyr Zelensky, the pressure is ramping up after Donald Trump said on Friday that he expected Ukraine to agree to a deal by next Thursday. He said the terms were not final, and that the deadline could move if he sees signs of progress.
Marco Rubio, his secretary of state, may have bought some time on Sunday, emerging briefly from a meeting with the Ukrainian delegation in Geneva to say the summit had constituted the most productive day in "a very long time".
open image in galleryBritain, France and Germany have offered public and materiel support to Ukraine since the invasion (PA Wire)"I feel very optimistic that we can get something done," Rubio said, offering very little information on what was discussed.
He also downplayed Trump’s deadline, saying simply that officials want to see fighting stop as soon as possible and that officials could keep negotiating Monday and beyond. He said that higher-level officials may eventually have to get involved.
Mr Rubio noted that any final product, once it is ready, will still have to be presented to Moscow: "Obviously, the Russians get a vote here."
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