Brussels & Kyiv – european and Ukrainian officials are reacting wiht caution to a reported Russian-American peace plan, with key details remaining undisclosed to European Union leadership. According to the president of the European Council, the plan has not been officially communicated to the EU.
At a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in brussels, European foreign ministers emphasized the necessity of Ukrainian involvement in any peace negotiations. “There can be no peace without Ukraine, and Europe must be present at the negotiating table,” stated Maria Stenergard, Sweden’s head of diplomacy.
Kaja Kallas, the high representative of the European Union, outlined the EU’s existing approach: “The European peace plan consists of two points: firstly weaken Russia, and secondly support Ukraine.” She added,”What we Europeans have always supported is a lasting and just peace,and we welcome all efforts to achieve it,but for a plan to work,Ukrainians and Europeans must buy into it.”
France echoed the sentiment, with Jean-Noël Barrot, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, firmly stating, “peace cannot be capitulation.” He continued, ”You can imagine that the Ukrainians who have resisted heroically for more than three years now against uninhibited aggression from Russia will always refuse any form of capitulation.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, navigating domestic political challenges, expressed a measured response to the reported plan. He affirmed his commitment to discussions aimed at securing “peace worthy” for his country. “Our Ukrainian and American teams will work on the points of the plan to end the war. We are ready to work constructively, honestly and quickly,” Zelensky said in a statement, adding he would discuss the matter “in the coming days” with U.S. President Donald Trump.
