Geneva (AFP) – President Donald Trump signalled room for negotiation on a US plan to end the Ukraine war that has drawn pushback from Kyiv, its allies, and US lawmakers ahead of Sunday talks on the proposal in Switzerland. Trump has given Ukraine until November 27 to approve the plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, but Kyiv is seeking changes to a draft that accepts some of Russia’s hardline demands. Washington insisted on Saturday the proposal was official US policy, denying claims by a group of US senators that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told them the document was a Russian “wish list.” The 28-point plan would require the invaded country to cede territory, cut its army, and pledge never to join NATO.
Trump told reporters Saturday it was not his final offer and he hoped to stop the fighting “one way or the other.” Ukraine’s European allies, who were not included in drafting the proposal, said the plan requires “additional work” as they scrambled at the G20 summit in South Africa to come up with a counter-offer to strengthen Kyiv’s position. A US official told AFP that Rubio and diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff would land in Geneva on Sunday for the talks, and that US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll had already arrived after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. “The peace proposal was authored by the US,” Rubio wrote on social media late Saturday. “It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”
Zelensky has issued a decree naming Ukraine’s delegation for the talks, led by his top aide Andriy Yermak. It also says the negotiations would include “representatives of the Russian Federation,” but there was no immediate confirmation from Moscow whether it would join the talks. Zelensky said “consultations will take place with partners regarding the steps needed to end the war.” “Our representatives know how to defend Ukraine’s national interests and what is necessary to prevent Russia from launching a third invasion,” having annexed Crimea in 2014 and mounted a full-scale offensive in 2022, he said.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the senior officials would meet in Geneva “to take things further forward,” stressing the importance of solid “security guarantees” for Ukraine under any settlement. “The focus very much now is on Geneva tomorrow and whether we can make progress tomorrow morning,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg. Starmer said his national security adviser Jonathan Powell would be in Geneva. Italian diplomatic sources said Rome was sending national security advisor Fabrizio Saggio. Security officials from the EU, France and Germany will also attend, French President Emmanuel Macron told a news conference at the G20.
Western leaders at the G20 summit said that the US plan was “a basis which will require additional work.” “We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack,” the leaders of key European countries, Canada, and Japan said in a joint statement. Macron said the plan contained points that had to be more broadly discussed as they concerned European allies, such as Ukraine’s NATO ties and Russian frozen assets held in the EU. “We all want peace and we are agreed. We want the peace to be strong and lasting,” he said, insisting a settlement must “take into account the security of all Europeans.” The European delegates in Geneva will aim “to put substance into the discussions and to reconcile all viewpoints,” he added.
Zelensky said in an address to the nation on Friday that Ukraine faces one of the most challenging moments in its history, adding that he would propose “alternatives” to Trump’s plan. “The pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest. Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner,” Zelensky said, referring to a possible break with Washington. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the blueprint could “lay the foundation” for a final peace settlement, but threatened more land seizures if Ukraine walked away from negotiations.
© 2024 AFP
