 "Ukraine to meet US in Switzerland as pressure mounts over Trump’s peace plan to end war")
Ukraine and the United States will soon hold talks in Switzerland on Washington’s proposed plan to end the war with Russia, Kyiv said on Saturday, as it seeks changes to a draft that incorporates several of Moscow’s demands.
“We are starting consultations between high-ranking officials of Ukraine and the United States on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement,” Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, wrote on Telegram.
The planned discussions come as Ukraine and its European partners scramble to form a coordinated response to the 28-point peace proposal the U.S. unveiled this week.
US President Donald Trump has given Kyiv less than a week to approve the plan, which would require Ukraine to cede territory, reduce the size of its military and commit to never joining NATO.
European allies, who were not involved in drafting the proposal, said it needs “additional work” as they met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa to prepare a counter-offer aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position.
“In the coming days, consultations will take place with partners regarding the steps needed to end the war,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said after issuing a decree naming Ukraine’s negotiating team, to be led by his top aide, Andriy Yermak.
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View All“Our representatives know how to defend Ukraine’s national interests and what is necessary to prevent Russia from launching a third invasion,” Zelensky added. He has been holding a series of phone calls with European leaders and has pledged to work continuously to ensure any final deal secures Ukraine’s future.
Umerov, who will also join the talks, earlier signalled Switzerland as the venue. He described the upcoming discussions as the next phase of an ongoing dialogue focused on aligning Kyiv and Washington’s positions. A former defence minister, Umerov previously took part in several negotiation rounds with Russia in Turkey, which resulted only in prisoner exchanges and the return of bodies.
Zelensky’s decree also said the talks would include “representatives of the Russian Federation.” Moscow has not yet confirmed whether it will participate.
More work needed
The unilateral US plan to end the war in Ukraine “is a basis which will require additional work”, Western leaders gathered in South Africa for a G20 summit said Saturday.
“We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack,” the leaders of key European countries as well as Canada and Japan said in a joint statement.
France’s Emmanuel Macron earlier sent a sombre message to the gathering, saying “the G20 may be coming to the end of a cycle,” adding that the grouping was struggling to resolve major crises around the world, referring to the unilateral US plan for resolving the Ukraine war.
Britain, Germany and France emerged as key Ukraine backers, providing it with crucial military and financial support, especially after the US sponsorship waned after Trump’s return to office.
Difficult choice
Ukraine faces one of the most challenging moments in its history, Zelenskyy said Friday in an address to the nation, adding that he would propose alternatives to Trump’s proposal.
“The pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest. Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner,” Zelenskyy said in his address, referring to a possible break with Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the blueprint could “lay the foundation” for a final peace settlement, but threatened more land seizures if Ukraine walked away from negotiations.
Better equipped and larger in numbers, the Russian army is slowly but steadily gaining ground across the lengthy front line.
Ukrainians were meanwhile facing one of the toughest winters since the war began, after Moscow carried out a brutal bombing campaign against energy infrastructure.
This comes as a sweeping corruption probe that unveiled graft in the energy sector was unravelling in Kyiv, sparking public outcry.
With inputs from agencies
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