Western leaders at G20 say U.S. plan a basis for peace in Ukraine, but it needs work

European and other Western leaders said on Saturday a U.S. peace plan was a basis for talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine but needed “additional work,” part of Western efforts to eke out a better deal for Kyiv before a Thursday deadline.

Meeting on the sidelines of a G20 summit, European and other Western leaders scrambled to come up with a coordinated response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for Ukraine to accept his 28-point peace plan with Russia by Thursday.

The U.S. plan, which endorses key Russian demands, was met with measured criticism in many European capitals, with leaders trying to balance praise for Trump for trying to end the fighting, but also recognizing that for Kyiv, some of the terms in his proposal are unpalatable.

“The initial draft of the 28-point plan includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace,” said the leaders of the European Union (EU), Germany, France, Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, Finland, Italy, Japan and Norway.

“We believe therefore that the draft is a basis which will require additional work,” they said in a statement.

Leaders adopt ‘lion-like spirit’ in talks about U.S. plan

The leaders met after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday his country faced a choice of either losing its dignity and freedom or Washington’s backing over the plan. He appealed to Ukrainians for unity, promising never to betray Ukraine.

That signal prompted European leaders to rally.

A German government source said they met in a room in Johannesburg called “lion” and that the leaders had adopted the animal’s “spirit” in talks to agree on a way to try to secure a better deal for Ukraine.

As leaders raced to come up with a coordinated response to Trump’s peace plan, Ukraine said it would hold talks with high-ranking U.S. officials in Switzerland on ending Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its fourth year.

“Ukraine will never be an obstacle to peace, and representatives of the Ukrainian state will defend the legitimate interests of the Ukrainian people and the foundations of European security,” a statement from the Ukrainian presidency said.

Zelenskyy added in an address: “This is about much more than the specific points of this or that document. We must ensure that nowhere in Europe or the world does the principle prevail that crimes against people and humanity, against states and nations, can be rewarded and forgiven.”