Ukraine’s allies push back on a US peace plan seen as favoring Moscow

KYIV Ukraine AP Ukraine s Western allies rallied around the war-torn country on Saturday as they pushed to revise a U S peace plan seen as favoring Moscow despite its all-out invasion of its neighbor President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed Ukrainians will dependably defend their home Related Articles Zelenskyy will visit Turkey in a new bid to jump-start talks to end Russia s invasion He came to US as a child refugee from the former Soviet Union Now he s a father facing deportation to Ukraine Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv kills people and injures at least EU renews demand that Ukraine crack down on corruption in wake of major capacity shame Russian strikes hit an apartment building and power sites in Ukraine killing A Ukrainian delegation bolstered by representatives from France Germany and the U K is preparing for direct talks with Washington in Switzerland on Sunday The -point blueprint drawn up by the U S to end the nearly four-year war sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals with Zelenskyy saying his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American promotion it requirements Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday President Donald Trump disclosed the U S proposal was not his final offer I would like to get to peace It should have happened a long time ago The Ukraine war with Russia should have never happened Trump disclosed One way or the other we have to get it ended The U S plan foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia something Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out while reducing the size of its army and blocking its coveted path to NATO membership It contains plenty of of Moscow s long-standing demands while offering limited precaution guarantees to Kyiv On Saturday leaders of the European Union Canada and Japan issued a joint declaration welcoming U S peace efforts but pushed back against key tenets of the plan We are ready to engage in order to ensure that a future peace is sustainable 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 declaration explained It added that any decisions regarding NATO and the EU would require the consent of member states The leaders of France Germany and the U K met during the day on the sidelines of a Group of summit in Johannesburg South Africa to discuss procedures to encouragement Kyiv according to a person with knowledge of the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly German Chancellor Friedrich Merz narrated reporters at the summit that wars cannot be ended by major powers over the heads of the countries affected and insisted Kyiv needed robust guarantees French President Emmanuel Macron noted the U S peace plan for Ukraine requires broader consultation because it stipulates a great number of things involving Europeans like Russia s frozen assets and Ukraine s accession to the European Union Europe s shield issues must also be taken into account Macron disclosed adding We want a robust and lasting peace Merz and Macron stated that envoys from Germany France the U K and the EU will join Ukrainian negotiators as they meet a U S delegation in Geneva on Sunday to discuss Washington s proposal Zelenskyy certified the meeting on Saturday after Trump set a deadline for Kyiv to respond to the plan by next Thursday European leaders have long warned against rushing a peace deal seeing their own future at stake in Ukraine s fight to beat back Russia and insist on being consulted in peace efforts Quite a way from a good outcome Kyiv s key allies in Europe reiterated their reservations about the Kremlin s readiness to end the war Time and again Russia pretends to be serious about peace but their actions never live up to their words U K Prime Minister Keir Starmer informed reporters ahead of the G summit days after a Russian strike on western Ukraine killed over two dozen civilians Starmer later added that his national guard adviser will be among Western envoys in Geneva European leaders have long accused Russia of stalling diplomatic efforts in the hope of overwhelming Ukraine s much smaller forces on the battlefield Kyiv has repeatedly accepted U S ceasefire proposals this year while Moscow has held out for more favorable terms An end to the war can only be achieved with the unconditional consent of Ukraine Merz declared during G summit briefing adding that he had described Trump in a long phone call on Friday that Europe needed to be a part of any peace process and that Russia had previously failed to keep its promises to respect Ukraine s territorial integrity From my perspective there is as of now a chance to end this war Merz added But we are still quite a way from a good outcome for everyone EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reported that a key principle for Kyiv s European allies was nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine Zelenskyy defiant as Ukraine remembers Soviet-era famine Zelenskyy in a video address published Saturday stated Ukrainian representatives at the Geneva talks know how to protect Ukrainian national interests and exactly what is needed to prevent Russia from carrying out another invasion Real peace is consistently based on measure and justice he added Nine leaders are to take part in the talks including Zelenskyy s chief of staff Andrii Yermak and top envoy Rustem Umerov according to a comment posted on the Ukrainian presidency s website which also stated that the negotiators are empowered to deal directly with Russia On Saturday Ukraine commemorated the great famine that Soviet leader Josef Stalin imposed in the early s which led to millions of deaths We all know how and why millions of our people died starved to death and millions were never born And we are once again defending ourselves against Russia which has not changed and is once again bringing death Zelenskyy declared in a post on Telegram marking Holodomor Memorial Day We defended defend and will dependably defend Ukraine Because only here is our home And in our home Russia will definitely not be the master he added Follow AP s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https apnews com hub russia-ukraine