Western allies push back on Trump’s Ukraine peace plan

Western leaders meeting in Johannesburg have said Donald Trump’s new peace plan for Ukraine needs “significant further work” before it can be taken seriously.

The 28-point proposal, leaked earlier in the week, includes demands for Ukraine to give up the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, halve its armed forces and give up long-range weapons. In return, the US would offer security guarantees to Ukraine and Europe against future Russian aggression.

In a joint statement, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, European Council president Antonio Costa, and leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Canada, Japan and Australia said some ideas in the plan were “important”, but could not be accepted in their current form.

They warned that Ukraine must not be left “vulnerable to attack” and stressed that borders “cannot be changed by force”. They also made clear that any proposals affecting NATO or the EU require the agreement of all member states.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the G20 summit, followed growing concern that the plan favours Moscow. Reports say the proposal is supported by Vladimir Putin, while President Volodymyr Zelensky has already said he cannot accept such terms.

Kyiv has agreed to hold further talks with senior US officials in Switzerland in the coming days.

^{A heavily damaged reesidential area in Ternopil, Ukraine © YURIY DYACHYSHYN / AFP}