Ukraine and its European allies have scrambled to come up with counter-proposals after US President Donald Trump gave Kyiv a tight deadline to approve a deal to end the war that accepts some of Russia’s hardline demands.<\/p>\n
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed back against the 28-point US plan.<\/p>\n
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has welcomed the proposal, which would force Ukraine to give up land, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO.<\/p>\n
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met on Saturday on the sidelines of a G20 summit in South Africa, the French presidency said.<\/p>\n
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Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and Alexander Stubb in discussion on the G20 sidelines. (Henry Nicholls\/pool via Reuters)<\/p>\n
The huddle was held ahead of a wider meeting on the same topic that would include other European leaders, the presidency said.<\/p>\n
Sir Keir had earlier said the aim was to “look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations”.<\/p>\n
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the allies should make it clear “that there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”.<\/p>\n
US Vice-President JD Vance reacted to the criticism of the plan, saying it “either misunderstands the framework or misstates some critical reality on the ground”.<\/p>\n
“There is a fantasy that if we just give more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, victory is at hand,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
he added.<\/p>\n
Ukraine faces one of the most challenging moments in its history, Mr Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation, adding that he would propose alternatives to Mr Trump’s proposal.<\/p>\n