The first reactions of European officials are particularly negative, as they consider it to be particularly pro-Russian, while it also contains concessions to Russia, which cross red lines, such as the concession of the Donbas region.
“The plan does not contain any concessions from Russia”
“The plan does not contain any concessions from Russia,” said the head of European diplomacy, and added: “For any peace plan to succeed, it must be supported by Ukraine and it must be supported by Europe. The pressure should be on the aggressor, not the victim. Rewarding aggression will only provoke more from the aggressor.”
German Foreign Minister Johann Vandefühl, for his part, said Russia must “immediately stop attacks on energy infrastructure” now that winter is beginning.
Vandeful added that he had spoken with special envoy Steve Witkoff – – as well as his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
An EU official speaking to Politico said there is a “storm of diplomatic action” underway as Europeans try to shore up the Ukrainian position and avoid a deal that favors Russia.
Emergency video conference of European leaders – Zelensky
At the same time, European leaders will have an emergency conference call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today regarding the US-Russia plan to end the war in Ukraine, which involves painful concessions from Kiev.
German Chancellor Friedrich Metz canceled today’s schedule to take part in a conference call with the Ukrainian president, which will also include French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, two German government officials told Reuters.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who is said to have a good relationship with Donald Trump, is also expected to attend the meeting, according to a source with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be named.
According to another source cited by Bloomberg, European leaders are also trying to arrange a phone call with the US to discuss the proposed peace plan.
Earlier the Wall Street Journal reported that European leaders are working on their own counter-proposal to end the war in Ukraine and trying to get Ukraine to support their plan, which is expected to be more favorable to Kiev, in the wake of the 28-point US plan that is seen as too favorable to Russia.
The placement of Mitsotakis
The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was also raised about the issue, who initially expressed concerns about the fact that European leaders have not been officially informed about the talks between American and Russian officials regarding the plan to end the conflicts, while he pointed out that although every European country, including ours, is trying to face internal challenges, it must support Ukraine.
“We understand that as Europeans we must support Ukraine financially. I believe that every European country is trying to face its own challenges, but it is up to each country to promote reforms so that there is a common pace,” he said.
At the same time, a vulnerable point in Trump’s plan is for the Greek prime minister the concession of territories from Kiev, as he pointed out.
