European countries pushed back on Thursday against a U.S.-backed peace plan for Ukraine that sources said would require Kyiv to give up more land and partially disarm, conditions long seen by Ukraine's allies as tantamount to capitulation.
Two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday that Washington had signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end the war, which includes territorial concessions and curbs to Ukraine's armed forces. The sources spoke on condition they not be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The acceleration in U.S. diplomacy comes at an awkward juncture for Kyiv, with its troops on the back foot at the front and Zelenskiy's government undermined by a corruption scandal. Parliament fired two cabinet ministers on Wednesday over the scandal.
Russia has been pounding Ukrainian cities and infrastructure with nightly bombardments, killing civilians and causing power cuts as winter sets in. Authorities said 22 people were still missing and 26 dead from airstrikes that destroyed an apartment block early on Wednesday, one of the worst attacks in months.
'PEACE CANNOT BE CAPITULATION,' SAYS FRANCE
European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels were careful not to comment in too much detail about a U.S. peace plan that has not been fully made public. But they made clear they would push back against demands for punishing concessions from Kyiv, and said any deal must not deprive Ukraine of the ability to defend itself.
"Ukrainians want peace - a just peace that respects everyone's sovereignty, a durable peace that can't be called into question by future aggression," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. "But peace cannot be a capitulation."
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Ukraine, as the victim in the conflict, should not have restrictions imposed on its ability to defend itself.
The EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said any agreement must have the Europeans and Ukraine itself on board.
The White House has not commented on the reported proposals. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that Washington would "continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides of this conflict."
"Ending a complex and deadly war such as the one in Ukraine requires an extensive exchange of serious and realistic ideas. And achieving a durable peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions," Rubio said.
A U.S. Army delegation, led by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and the Army's Chief of Staff Randy George, was in Kyiv and expected to meet Zelenskiy late on Thursday.
They met Ukraine's top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi late on Wednesday. Syrskyi said he told them the best way to secure a just peace was to defend Ukraine's airspace, extend its ability to strike deep into Russia and stabilise the front line.
FOURTH WINTER APPROACHING
With the fourth winter approaching of Europe's deadliest war in eight decades, Russian troops have been inching forward and are poised to finally capture their first substantial city in nearly two years, the ruined eastern railway hub of Pokrovsk.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022, occupies almost a fifth of Ukraine, and says it will not end the war unless Ukraine cedes additional land, accepts permanent neutrality and cuts its armed forces.
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