Western Leaders Weigh In on US Peace Plan for Ukraine.
The draft US peace plan for ending the war in Ukraine has been met with skepticism from Western leaders at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, who have expressed concerns that it will require "additional work" to be implemented. The 28-point plan, which was leaked earlier this week, includes some of Russia's demands, such as handing over areas of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and limiting its military.
European leaders have met on the sidelines of the summit to discuss their response to the plan, with a joint statement acknowledging that it includes "important elements" but also stating that borders should not be changed by force. The statement was signed by leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Norway, and the EU, as well as prime ministers from Canada and Japan.
The UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Western leaders were concerned about the US proposals to cap Ukraine's military, as it would undermine the country's ability to defend itself if there was a ceasefire. He also noted that the consensus among allies was that some elements of the plan were essential for lasting peace but required further work.
In contrast to Western leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron questioned the effectiveness of the G20, saying that the group is "at risk" due to its inability to find common ground and resolve major crises. He also emphasized that any solution in Ukraine must be based on respect for Ukrainian sovereignty.
The US will meet with Ukraine and European national security advisers in Switzerland next week to discuss the framework, while President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa hosted the G20 leaders to emphasize the group's importance for international cooperation despite concerns about Trump's absence.
The draft US peace plan for ending the war in Ukraine has been met with skepticism from Western leaders at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, who have expressed concerns that it will require "additional work" to be implemented. The 28-point plan, which was leaked earlier this week, includes some of Russia's demands, such as handing over areas of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and limiting its military.
European leaders have met on the sidelines of the summit to discuss their response to the plan, with a joint statement acknowledging that it includes "important elements" but also stating that borders should not be changed by force. The statement was signed by leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Norway, and the EU, as well as prime ministers from Canada and Japan.
The UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Western leaders were concerned about the US proposals to cap Ukraine's military, as it would undermine the country's ability to defend itself if there was a ceasefire. He also noted that the consensus among allies was that some elements of the plan were essential for lasting peace but required further work.
In contrast to Western leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron questioned the effectiveness of the G20, saying that the group is "at risk" due to its inability to find common ground and resolve major crises. He also emphasized that any solution in Ukraine must be based on respect for Ukrainian sovereignty.
The US will meet with Ukraine and European national security advisers in Switzerland next week to discuss the framework, while President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa hosted the G20 leaders to emphasize the group's importance for international cooperation despite concerns about Trump's absence.
. I mean, Russia is already taking over parts of Ukraine, and now they want them back? It's not like it's a new thing, right? The whole point of the G20 summit should be to find solutions to major problems like this... but instead we're stuck debating whether or not to change borders by force 
. And what about the US military being capped? That's just gonna leave Ukraine defenseless against Russia - it's a recipe for disaster 
. And let's not forget, Macron is right on point with the G20 group being all talk and no action 
. We need some real leaders who can put aside their differences and work towards peace... but I guess that's too much to ask 
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. Maybe Western leaders are just being realistic about how negotiations work - sometimes compromises have to be made for the sake of progress 
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it doesn't make sense if they're gonna just give up their sovereignty and then expect Russia to respect it idk... but at the same time, some of those points in the 28-point plan do sound pretty reasonable like handing over Donbas region and limiting Russian military presence 
. These Western leaders are right to question it - capping Ukraine's military might not be the best idea, and we can't just ignore Russia's demands like they're nothing. I mean, have you seen the Donbas region? It's been a powder keg for years, and now they want us to just hand it over? Not a chance 
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. The US needs to go back to the drawing board and come up with a real plan that doesn't leave so many things open to interpretation 
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. But at the same time, I feel like some of these other demands are pretty unrealistic, especially from Russia 
they're worried that capping ukraine's military will leave them defenseless if there's a ceasefire, but can't we just compromise on something in between? 
also, i think macron has a point about the g20 being kinda useless 
I feel like all these world leaders are putting so much pressure on Ukraine, they just wanna find peace but its like nobody is listening to each other 
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. Maybe this plan needs some more work...
But can we really find common ground with Russia on this one? 
. The fact that some of Russia's demands are included in the 28-point plan is a bit concerning though 
. Border changes shouldn't be forced, as Emmanuel Macron said 
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. european leaders are trying to be diplomatic about it but france is like "g20 is failing us" lol maybe theyre right tho? 
... the fact that they're saying borders shouldn't be changed by force is kinda vague, though - what does that even mean? 
on the other hand, emmanuel macron's critique of the g20 feels kinda fair, but at the same time, it's like he's expecting too much from the group - can't they just have some basic coordination and agreement on major issues? 
... and now keir starmer is saying we can't just limit ukraine's military capabilities? that's like asking a country to disarm without even having a ceasefire 