Washington Seeks Global Backing for Ukraine Peace Talks at G20

Washington: Ukraine’s international allies will aim to reinforce a US-backed proposal to end the conflict with Russia when they convene at the G20 summit in South Africa, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced.

The meeting comes just a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Ukraine was facing “one of the most difficult moments in our history”, amid mounting pressure to accept the plan—details of which have been leaked and viewed by many as favouring Moscow.

On Friday, Zelensky held phone discussions with Sir Keir, along with the leaders of France and Germany. After the talks, the UK prime minister stated that Ukraine’s “friends and partners” remain committed to achieving a “lasting peace once and for all”.

Neither US President Donald Trump nor Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit. The US peace plan reportedly includes terms previously rejected by Kyiv, such as relinquishing control of eastern territories currently under Ukrainian administration.

Washington has been pressing Ukraine to accept the proposal and dispatched top Pentagon officials to Kyiv earlier this week to discuss its terms. However, many European leaders have expressed alarm over what is seen as a plan leaning heavily in Russia’s favour. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas labelled the potential adoption of the proposal a “very dangerous moment”.

“We all want this war to end, but how it ends matters,” she told reporters, according to Reuters. “Russia has no legal right whatsoever to any concessions from the country it invaded. Ultimately, the terms of any agreement are for Ukraine to decide.”

Ahead of the G20 discussions, Sir Keir said leaders would “discuss the current proposal on the table, and in support of President Trump’s push for peace, look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations”.

He added: “Not a day has passed in this war where Ukraine hasn’t called for Russia to end its illegal invasion, roll back its tanks, and lay down its guns. Ukraine has been ready to negotiate for months, while Russia has stalled and continued its murderous rampage. That is why we must all work together, with both the US and Ukraine, to secure a just and lasting peace once and for all.”

Under the White House proposal, Ukraine would be required to reduce its military forces and pledge not to join NATO—a demand long held by the Kremlin.

Trump stated on Friday that Ukraine would lose more territory to Russia “in a short amount of time” and that Zelensky “is going to have to approve” the plan. He said Ukraine had until Thursday—Thanksgiving in the US—to accept it, calling the timing “appropriate”. Russian forces have been making incremental progress along the front line, despite reported heavy losses.

Ukraine continues to rely heavily on US-supplied advanced weaponry, including air defence systems, and benefits from critical intelligence provided by Washington since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

US Vice-President JD Vance said on Friday that it was “a fantasy that if we just give more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, victory is at hand”.

Putin confirmed during a meeting with his security cabinet that the US proposal had been presented and said it could serve as a “basis” for a potential settlement, though he noted that no detailed negotiations had yet taken place in Moscow. He said Russia was prepared to be “flexible” but also ready to continue fighting.

Speaking in a 10-minute address outside the presidential office in Kyiv, Zelensky cautioned that Ukraine would face “a lot of pressure… to weaken us, to divide us”. He said: “We’re not making loud statements. We’ll be calmly working with America and all the partners… offering alternatives” to the proposed peace framework.

Zelensky has had to walk a tight line between safeguarding Ukraine’s national interests and preserving working relations with President Trump, with whom he publicly clashed earlier this year during a visit to Washington. Trump has previously expressed frustration at stalled peace efforts.

Zelensky acknowledged on Friday that Ukraine “might face a very difficult choice: either losing dignity, or risk losing a key partner”.

The White House has rejected claims that Ukraine was excluded from the drafting process. A US official, speaking anonymously to CBS News—BBC’s US partner—said the plan was created “immediately” following discussions with Ukraine’s top security official Rustem Umerov, who reportedly agreed to most of the proposal.

The leaked draft suggests Ukrainian forces would withdraw from the part of Donetsk region they currently hold, giving Russia effective control over Donetsk, neighbouring Luhansk, and Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. Russia already controls around 20% of Ukrainian territory.

In return, Ukraine would reportedly receive “reliable security guarantees”, though no specifics have been outlined. The document also states “it is expected” that Russia will cease further invasions of neighbouring states and that NATO will halt further expansion.

It additionally proposes that Russia be reintegrated into the global economy through the lifting of sanctions and possibly restored to the G7 group of advanced economies—returning it to the G8.

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