European leaders will meet tomorrow on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa to discuss the US-Russian draft settlement for ending the war in Ukraine.
Writing on social media after a call with President Volodymyr Zelensky and President of the European Council Antonio Costa, Ursula von der Leyen said that they had discussed the current situation and were “clear that there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
“We have been working for a just and sustainable peace with Ukraine and for Ukraine together with our friends and partners,” von der Leyen continued.
“As next steps, European leaders will meet tomorrow in the margins of G20 and then in Angola at the EU-AU meeting.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, viewed as somebody who has the ear of US President Donald Trump, is also expected to join according to Bloomberg.
A statement released by Zelensky’s office after the call stated that the Ukrainian president had briefed von der Leyen and Costa on the proposals from the US side for ending the war and on discussions with partners in Europe and the US.
“The leaders of Ukraine, the European Council, and the European Commission value the commitment of the United States and President Donald Trump to bringing the war to an end and are working in concert to ensure this becomes a joint and fully aligned plan,” it said.
Shortly after, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that he had spoken with his French and German counterparts about the deal.
The leaders “agreed to coordinate with partners and allies in the coming days,” including at the G20 summit, on “how best to achieve a lasting peace,” a UK government spokesman said.
European leaders have pledged “full and unwavering support” for Kyiv, but as of yet it is still unclear what concrete steps they will take to ensure this.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Starmer all said on Friday that the Armed Forces of Ukraine must stay capable of defending its sovereignty and that the current line of contact should be the starting point for peace talks.
A person briefed on the plans of European leaders told Bloomberg that European leaders doubt the status and legitimacy of the current peace plan and have characterised it as tantamount to total capitulation by Kyiv to Russia’s wishes.
A senior European official said to the outlet that the plan would maximize the potential for future Russian hybrid and false-flag operations allowing Moscow to claim that Ukraine had breached the terms as a justification to re-invade.
However, in public, a German government spokesman told reporters in Berlin that Europe wants to “participate constructively in guiding this into a dynamic that will bring us closer to our goal of a lasting peace in Ukraine.”
The hastily-arranged talks are the result of US President Donald Trump’s insistence that Ukraine sign the 28-point deal drafted by Washington in coordination with Moscow by a tight Thanksgiving deadline.
Trump told Fox News Radio on Friday that asking for the deal to be signed by Thursday is “appropriate,” though he added that the deadline could be extended if things are “going well.”