France has accused the United States of pressuring Ukraine into a new peace plan, jointly crafted with Moscow, that could lead to Ukraine’s surrender. The proposal involves Kyiv giving up territory to Russia and cutting its military strength in half. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasized that peace should not equate to capitulation and expressed opposition to Ukraine surrendering.
European leaders, including Kaja Kallas, the top foreign diplomat of the EU, criticized the plan, which diverged from the initial focus on imposing economic pressure on Russia. The new strategy, attributed to Donald Trump, suggests Ukraine relinquishing control of the eastern Donbas region to Russia in exchange for a ceasefire.
The peace plan, negotiated between American and Russian envoys without Ukrainian participation, also entails reducing Ukraine’s armed forces by half, banning long-range missiles, blocking foreign troop deployments, cutting off US military aid, and limiting diplomatic flights into Ukraine.
Additionally, the proposal includes making Russian an official state language, granting formal status to the Russian Orthodox Church in occupied areas, and allowing Ukraine to seek security guarantees from the US and European governments to stabilize any ceasefire.
Ukrainian officials, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, vehemently opposed the plan, rejecting any concessions that would involve surrendering the mineral-rich Donbas region to Russia. Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer emphasized that negotiations should commence at the current contact line and emphasized that borders should not be redrawn by force.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the American approach, stating that achieving lasting peace required difficult concessions. He reassured that the US would continue refining proposals based on inputs from both sides. European diplomats stressed the need for Ukrainian and European involvement in any peace efforts, highlighting the imbalance of concessions from the Russian side.
Discussions among foreign ministers, including Germany’s Johann Wadephul and Poland’s Radek Sikorski, underscored the importance of Russia agreeing to a unconditional truce. While some European diplomats felt excluded from the negotiations, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, Kestutis Budrys, viewed the US’s fresh ideas as a positive sign.
The proposed peace plan mirrors demands made by Vladimir Putin during a previous summit with Trump in Alaska. However, a subsequent meeting in Budapest was canceled as Washington believed Moscow had not altered its stance. The Kremlin emphasized the need to address the root causes of the conflict for any peace deal to be effective, although no active negotiations were reported.
A US Pentagon delegation, led by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, arrived in Ukraine for discussions with Zelensky, highlighting ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation.