German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday that US President Donald Trump has received a new proposal outlining the territorial concessions Ukraine might be willing to consider to end Russia’s invasion.
Merz said the document was delivered after he and other European leaders held a phone call with Trump on Wednesday.
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“It mainly concerns the question of what territorial concessions Ukraine is prepared to make,” Merz told reporters, stressing that only “the Ukrainian president and the Ukrainian people” can decide on such issues.
Speaking at an online press briefing earlier this week, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that three documents are being prepared as part of a broader peace package: a 20-point framework that continues to evolve; a separate security-guarantee document drafted jointly with the US and European partners; and a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Ukraine.
His comments come as multiple peace proposals circulate in Washington and Europe. A 28-point plan drafted by US officials with input from the Kremlin leaked in late November.
In its original form, it would have required Ukraine to give up the NATO membership bid, limit the size of its military, and surrender territory that Russian forces have so far failed to seize on the battlefield.
The leak triggered weeks of chaotic diplomacy. Ukraine and its European partners have been racing to counter the proposal with an alternative that is less tilted toward Moscow. Their effort produced a new 20-point plan from Kyiv, now under discussion with the Trump administration.
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Tensions have also been heightened by signals from Washington on economic policy. A US Treasury Department document published Wednesday said American companies may continue doing business with Russia’s Lukoil until shortly after midnight on Jan. 17, adding further uncertainty to Western policy.
Merz, speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, warned that Europe must not force Ukraine into a deal it cannot accept.
“It would be a mistake to push the Ukrainian president into a peace that his people will not accept after four years of suffering and death,” he said.
Trump on Wednesday expressed frustration with Ukraine and European allies Germany, France, and the UK, saying “strong words” were exchanged during the call with the European leaders.
Merz said additional talks with US officials are planned this weekend, and that a broader international meeting on Ukraine “could take place at the beginning of next week.” Whether Washington participates, he said, depends on the joint draft proposals now being finalized.
He added that his conversation with Trump gave him “the strong impression that he is ready to go down this path with us, because he knows that the Europeans and their interests have to be heard.” Merz described the exchange as constructive, saying both sides spoke clearly and with “mutual respect.”
Merz outlined three priorities for the ongoing diplomatic push: securing a ceasefire, ensuring it is backed by “robust legal and material guarantees,” and reaching a settlement that protects European security without undermining the unity of NATO or the European Union.
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