US-Ukraine talks: Why are European leaders opposing Trump’s peace plan?

1 hour ago 1

Top United States officials are holding talks with Ukrainian and European diplomats successful Geneva to sermon US President Donald Trump’s bid program aimed astatine ending the astir four-year-old warfare betwixt Russia and Ukraine.

But the so-called 28-point plan pushed by the Trump medication has alarmed Ukraine and its European allies, who spot it arsenic a capitulation to Russian demands, peculiarly territorial concessions and limits connected the size of Ukraine’s military.

Trump had acceptable a November 27 deadline for Ukraine to judge his bid plan, but after pushback from European leaders, Washington appears to person softened its stance, with Trump saying the program did not correspond a “final offer” for Ukraine.

This volition apt make immoderate wriggle country for diplomacy astatine the high-stakes talks successful Geneva, Switzerland.

So, wherefore are Ukraine’s European allies opposed to the draught plan? Who’s participating? What’s connected the docket successful Geneva? And does the program favour Moscow?

What’s connected the docket astatine the US-Ukraine talks successful Geneva?

The talks are an effort to reconcile the contentious draught bid plan, arsenic Kyiv and its European allies privation Kyiv’s semipermanent information interests protected.

Representatives from Ukraine, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the European Union volition articulation apical US officials, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to sermon however to extremity the warfare – Europe’s deadliest since World War II. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said determination volition besides beryllium a Russian presence.

The talks, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra said, “could beryllium the astir decisive infinitesimal for Ukraine”.

“There is simply a large woody of anxiousness among Ukrainians and Europeans astir the quality of the 28-plan drafted by the Americans,” said Ahelbarra, reporting from Geneva.

“The concerns are astir the territorial concessions: We’re talking astir Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea, which the Ukrainians, arsenic per the plan, person to springiness up successful speech for the imaginable of a imperishable woody with Russia. They person to frost the beforehand lines, peculiarly successful Kherson and Zaporizhia.

“The 3rd constituent is the simplification of the capableness of the Ukrainian equipped forces from 900,000 soldiers to 600,000, and this is wide perceived by the Ukrainians arsenic a large concession they cannot spend to make,” Ahelbarra said.

In a station connected X connected Sunday, Zelenskyy said helium hopes “there volition beryllium a result”.

“The bloodshed indispensable beryllium stopped, and we indispensable guarantee that the warfare is ne'er reignited,” the Ukrainian person said. “I americium awaiting the results of today’s talks and anticipation that each participants volition beryllium constructive. We each request a affirmative outcome.”

Who is participating successful the talks?

The US’s Rubio and Witkoff are starring the Geneva talks, which volition besides see US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.

Nine Ukrainian officials are attending the talks, including Ukraine’s statesmanlike bureau main Andriy Yermak and apical envoy Rustem Umerov, who person been empowered to woody straight with Russia by the president.

National information advisers from the E3 confederation of France, Britain and Germany volition besides articulation the discussions, alongside different officials from the EU, including Italy.

Why are European leaders raising concerns astir Trump’s bid plan?

Ukraine’s European allies accidental the existent bid program does not code Ukraine’s information concerns. They accidental Russia cannot beryllium rewarded with territory for invading Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said connected Sunday that “any credible and sustainable bid program should archetypal and foremost halt the sidesplitting and extremity the war, portion not sowing the seeds for a aboriginal conflict”.

She spelled retired 3 elements required for a conscionable and lasting peace, stating that borders should not beryllium changed by force, that determination should not beryllium a headdress connected Ukraine’s military, and that the EU should beryllium cardinal to securing bid for Ukraine.

“Ukraine indispensable person the state and sovereign close to take its ain destiny. They person chosen a European destiny,” von der Leyen said.

On the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) acme successful Johannesburg, South Africa connected Saturday, European and different Western leaders pushed backmost against Trump’s plan, saying it required “additional work”.

“We are acceptable to prosecute successful bid to guarantee that a aboriginal bid is sustainable. We are wide connected the rule that borders indispensable not beryllium changed by force,” said a associated connection signed by the UK, Canada, Finland, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway and the Republic of Ireland.

The connection noted that the allies were “concerned by the projected limitations connected Ukraine’s equipped forces, which would permission Ukraine susceptible to aboriginal attack”, adding that immoderate decisions regarding NATO and the EU would necessitate the consent of subordinate states.

Russia invaded Ukraine successful February 2022 and has since captured ample parts of the eastbound Donetsk and Luhansk region. Moscow had annexed the Crimean Peninsula successful 2014.

According to Trump’s draught plan, Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk volition beryllium recognised arsenic de facto Russian territory. Ukrainian forces volition beryllium required to retreat from parts of Donetsk that they presently control, portion Kherson and Zaporizhia volition beryllium frozen on the enactment of contact.

The projected program would besides spot Ukraine chopped its service and renounce its ambitions to articulation NATO, which has been a large sticking constituent successful the earlier proposals. The size of the Ukrainian equipped forces volition beryllium constricted to 600,000 personnel.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that helium spoke with Trump successful a agelong telephone telephone connected Friday and conveyed that Europe needed to beryllium a portion of immoderate bid process.

“An extremity to the warfare tin lone beryllium achieved with the unconditional consent of Ukraine,” Merz said during the G20 acme briefing. “But we are inactive rather a mode from a bully result for everyone.”

Von der Leyen noted that a cardinal rule for Kyiv’s European allies was “nothing astir Ukraine without Ukraine”.

Speaking with reporters up of the G20 summit, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “Time and again, Russia pretends to beryllium superior astir peace, but their actions ne'er unrecorded up to their words.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said connected Saturday that Russia would “betray” its committedness and “come back” if determination are nary elements of deterrence and if Ukraine were to chopped its service size and travel Trump’s plan.

In a station connected X, Macron welcomed US efforts to bring peace, but said that the existent connection “must beryllium strengthened” and “Ukraine indispensable ne'er beryllium near vulnerable”.

Macron wrote, “Everyone wants bid – but Russia, which continues to stubbornly weaponry Ukraine”, adding that enactment for Ukraine was “decisive”.

EU’s overseas argumentation chief, Kaja Kallas, said: “Russia has nary ineligible close whatsoever to immoderate concessions from the state it invaded.”

But US Vice President JD Vance has rebuked disapproval of the bid plan.

“There is simply a phantasy that if we conscionable springiness much money, much weapons, oregon much sanctions, triumph is astatine hand,” the vice president posted connected X connected Saturday. “Peace won’t beryllium made by failed diplomats oregon politicians surviving successful a phantasy land. It mightiness beryllium made by astute radical surviving successful the existent world.”

What has Ukraine’s Zelenskyy said astir the plan?

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was trying to support its sovereignty portion retaining the enactment of its astir important ally, the United States. Trump had said Zelenskyy tin “fight his small bosom out” if helium rejected the proposal.

“Now is 1 of the astir hard moments of our history. Now, the unit connected Ukraine is 1 of the heaviest. Now, Ukraine tin look a precise hard prime — either losing dignity oregon hazard losing a large partner,” Zelenskky said.

In a 10-minute code extracurricular the statesmanlike palace, Zelenskyy said that if his state follows done connected the projected plan, it would permission Kyiv “without freedom, dignity and justice”.

Accepting the plan, which has been wide viewed arsenic favouring Moscow, would besides mean believing “someone who has already attacked america twice”, said Zelenskyy.

“I volition contiguous arguments, I volition persuade, I volition suggest alternatives,” said the Ukrainian president. He past referred to the Russian penetration successful February 2022, saying: “We did not betray Ukraine then, we volition not bash truthful now.”

On Sunday, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s absorption astatine the talks is “on moving arsenic constructively arsenic imaginable connected the steps projected by the United States”.

“We are moving to guarantee that the way toward ending the warfare is existent and that the principled elements are enactment into action,” helium said aft a telephone with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Does Trump’s bid program favour Moscow?

European leaders are acrophobic that Trump’s connection heavy favours Russia, which has been seeking to power each of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Moscow presently holds parts of that territory, though it has been dilatory gaining much crushed connected the battlefronts.

A radical of US senators said connected Saturday that they were told by Rubio, who is besides Trump’s nationalist information adviser, that the wide leaked draught bid program did not bespeak the US position, but was a Russian “wish list”.

“It looked much similar it was written successful Russian to statesman with,” Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota, said astatine a information league successful Canada.

However, Rubio denied the assertions, insisting that the program was “authored by the US” and it was “based connected input” from some Russia and Ukraine.

Rounds said helium had been assured that the program was presented to Witkoff, Trump’s overseas envoy, by “someone … representing Russia”. The legislator continued: “It is not our recommendation. It is not our bid plan.”

Later, a US Department of State spokesperson said Rounds’s relationship of his speech with Rubio was “blatantly false”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, said Washington’s 28-point program could “lay the instauration for a last bid settlement”.

Putin besides threatened to prehend much territory if Ukraine does not judge the proposal, informing that the reported seizure of the Ukrainian metropolis of Kupiansk “will inevitably beryllium repeated successful different cardinal areas of the beforehand line”.

Speaking from Kyiv, writer Audrey MacAlpine said Russia has been making battlefield gains successful regions of Ukraine wherever the bid connection would manus it territory on the enactment of contact.

She told Al Jazeera that Moscow had carried retired overnight attacks connected Kherson and Zaporizhia, 2 regions wherever Russia would summation de facto power nether the 28-point program being discussed successful Geneva.

“No uncertainty Russia is trying to marque gains successful these peculiar regions, and they’ve been successful,” she said. “They’ve been making dilatory but concerted gains.”

Is Trump apt to seal the bid woody this time?

We bash not cognize yet.

During his statesmanlike run starring up to the 2024 US election, Trump claimed that helium could extremity Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine wrong a day. But a woody proved elusive contempt Washington’s diplomatic push.

Since returning to powerfulness for a 2nd word successful January, Trump has made resolving overseas conflicts cardinal to US overseas policy. He claimed to person helped extremity respective wars, including Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza, the India-Pakistan war, and the Thailand-Cambodia war, among others. Trump adjacent asked for a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping wars.

But helium has struggled to extremity the Russia-Ukraine conflict, contempt holding a acme with Putin successful Alaska successful August.

Trump’s archetypal gathering with Zelenskyy ended successful acrimony backmost successful February. The US president made up with the Ukrainian leader, hosting him doubly astatine the White House since the February White House meeting. But his effort to organise a gathering betwixt Putin and Zelenskyy has not materialised.

In August, Trump warned Russia of terrible consequences if Putin refused to extremity the war. He adjacent announced sanctions connected Moscow to unit it to extremity the war. He besides slapped hefty tariffs connected India for buying Russian oil, which helium said was financing Moscow’s warfare efforts.

As the talks were nether mode successful Geneva connected Sunday, Trump again took purpose astatine Ukraine, saying Kyiv has not been grateful for American efforts related to the warfare with Russia.

“UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS, AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA. THE USA CONTINUES TO SELL MASSIVE $AMOUNTS OF WEAPONS TO NATO, FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UKRAINE,” Trump said successful a Truth Social station connected X, echoing remarks helium made during a heated speech successful the White House successful February successful which Trump and US Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy.

Read Entire Article