Leaders airs for a household photograph connected the opening time of the G20 Leaders' Summit astatine the Nasrec Expo Centre successful Johannesburg, South Africa, connected Nov. 22, 2025.
Misper Apawu | Via Reuters
European and different Western leaders gathering connected the sidelines of a G20 acme scrambled connected Saturday to travel up with a coordinated effect to U.S. President Donald Trump's request for Ukraine to judge his bid program with Russia by Thursday.
The U.S. plan, which endorses cardinal Russian demands, was met with measured disapproval successful galore European capitals, with leaders trying to equilibrium praise for Trump for trying to extremity the fighting, but besides recognizing that for Kyiv, immoderate of the presumption successful his connection are unpalatable.
On Friday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine faced a prime of either losing its dignity and state oregon Washington's backing implicit the bid plan. He appealed to Ukrainians for unity and said helium would ne'er betray Ukraine.
European, Western leaders conscionable connected response
That awesome prompted European leaders to rally. At the gathering of the Group of 20 large economies successful South Africa, leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, Italy, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Ireland, the EU Commission and EU Council met to sermon tactics, sources said.
While the leaders discussed adjacent steps, Ukraine said it would clasp talks with high-ranking U.S. officials successful Switzerland connected ending Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine, which is present successful its 4th year.
"Ukraine volition ne'er beryllium an obstacle to peace, and representatives of the Ukrainian authorities volition support the morganatic interests of the Ukrainian radical and the foundations of European security," a connection from the Ukrainian presidency said.
On Friday, Trump threw down the gauntlet to Ukraine, saying Zelenskyy had until Thursday to o.k. his 28-point plan, which calls connected Ukraine to cede territory, judge limits connected its subject and renounce ambitions to articulation NATO.
"He'll person to similar it, and if helium doesn't similar it, past you know, they should conscionable support fighting, I guess," helium said. "At immoderate constituent he's going to person to judge thing helium hasn't accepted."
Recalling their fractious February gathering with Zelenskyy, Trump added: "You retrieve close successful the Oval Office, not truthful agelong ago, I said, 'You don't person the cards.'"
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said precocious connected Friday that immoderate program to extremity Russia's warfare successful Ukraine should sphere Ukrainian sovereignty and beryllium acceptable to some countries but that it was a "fantasy" to deliberation Ukraine could triumph if the U.S. were to springiness Kyiv much wealth oregon weapons oregon enforce much sanctions connected Moscow.
"There is simply a phantasy that if we conscionable springiness much money, much weapons, oregon much sanctions, triumph is astatine hand," Vance wrote connected X.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the program arsenic being the ground of a solution to the conflict, but Moscow whitethorn entity to immoderate proposals successful the plan, which requires its forces to propulsion backmost from immoderate areas they person captured.
The peril for Zelenskyy was writ ample erstwhile the Ukrainian president turned to a nationalist code to hole the colonisation for a pugnacious fewer days.
"Now, Ukraine tin look a precise hard prime — either losing dignity oregon hazard losing a large partner," helium said successful a code to the nation. "I volition combat 24/7 to guarantee that astatine slightest 2 points successful the program are not overlooked – the dignity and state of Ukrainians."
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