“It is not the final offer”

In reality, Europeans consider Trump’s plan unacceptable, as it amounts to Ukraine’s unconditional surrender. Even so, they have conspired not to openly criticize him. They do not want to break with the American presidentbut to attract him towards his theses by resorting to the flattery that always works so effectively with him.

In fact, after the emergency meeting held this Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, the European heads of government have applauded the “persistent US efforts to bring peace to Ukraine“.

The North American president – who has boycotted the G20, baselessly alleging that white people are persecuted in South Africa – has responded from the White House that his peace plan “is not the final offer”, but has also insisted that “The war must end one way or another“. His ultimatum to the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenskiexpires next Thursday.

This explains why Europeans have multiplied diplomatic movements at all levels. The next chapter in Brussels’ strategy to deactivate the pact between Trump and Vladimir Putin takes place this Sunday in Ginebra.

The Swiss city hosts a meeting involving national security advisers from France, the United Kingdom and Germany, senior officials from the European Commission and the European Council and representatives of Ukraine.

The Secretary of State has traveled from the United States, Marco Rubio; the secretary of the Army, Daniel Driscoll; and the special envoy Steve Witkoff. “I think all the focus now is on the Geneva meeting and whether progress can be made,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“No peace initiative should be based on Ukraine’s capitulation“, wrote this Saturday the president of Lithuania, Nauséda Gypsiesafter a virtual meeting with Zelensky of the leaders of the Nordic and Baltic countries. ORA phrase that captures the unrest and unrest dominant in Brussels and most European capitals.

For the EU, The priority is to prevent Ukraine from being forced to cede territories to Russia and that its Army is forcibly restricted. In addition, European leaders demand to have the final say on any point in Trump’s plan that affects Europe or NATO.

“The situation in Ukraine, and therefore in Europe, is alarming. Zelensky has made it clear that this is the most difficult moment since the beginning of the war,” warns the Danish Prime Minister. Mette Frederiksenwhose country holds the current presidency of the EU and who has also participated in the Nordic and Baltic leaders’ summit.

For their part, the European leaders who attended the G20 emphasize in their statement that “borders should not be changed by force“. With this, they implicitly reject point 21 of Trump’s plan, which establishes that “Crimea, Lugansk and Donetsk will be recognized as de facto Russian.”

“We are also concerned about proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forceswhich would leave the country vulnerable to future attacks,” the joint statement points out. The EU thus questions the sixth point of the road map agreed between Washington and Moscow, which says that “andThe size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be limited to 600,000 troops.

Finally, the leaders point out that the implementation of the elements that affect the EU and NATO “would require, respectively, the consent of EU and NATO membersTrump’s plan requires the Alliance to include in its statutes a provision preventing any future accession by Ukraine and to commit not to station troops there.

It also states in its Article 11 that “Ukraine will be eligible for EU membership and will receive short-term preferential access to the single market while this matter is assessed.” For its part, point 14 provides that Brussels must unfreeze Russian funds on its territory and contribute 100 billion to reconstruction.

To the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tuskhas been particularly outraged by Article 9 of the Trump plan, which says that European fighter jets will be stationed in Poland. “Russia cannot impose its conditions on Ukraine or Europe. “Everything that concerns Poland must be resolved with the Polish government,” he said after speaking with Zelensky.

The statement from leaders present at the G20 is signed by Tusk himself; the german Friedrich Merz; the french Emmanuel Macron; the Italian Giorgia Meloni; the spanish Pedro Sanchez; the dutch Dick Schoof; the finnish Alexander Stubb; and the irish Michael Martin.

It is also signed by the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; and the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa; as well as several leaders from outside the EU: the Norwegian Jonas Gahr Støre; the british Keir Starmer; the canadian Mark Carney; and the Japanese Sanae Takaichi.

“At such a critical time for Europe’s security, European leaders have reaffirmed at the G20 our strong support for Ukraine. Peace in Ukraine must be fair, lasting and sustainable. Europe will not fail the Ukrainian people“, wrote the President of the Government in your X account.

“Wars cannot be ended by the great powers behind the backs of the affected countries,” said Chancellor Merz, who has demanded a seat at the table for Ukraine and the European Union.

“If Ukraine loses this war and possibly collapses, that will have an impact on European politics as a whole, on the entire European continent. And that is why we are so committed to this issue,” the German leader insisted in Johannesburg.

“Everyone wants peace, except Russia, which continues stubbornly bombing Ukraine. The 28-point plan must be reinforced: no border should be changed by force and Ukraine should never be vulnerable“says French President Emmanuel Macron.

The leader of the liberal group Renew in the European Parliament, Valerie Hayera close ally of Macron, has put words to what everyone is thinking in Brussels: “Let’s be clear: this plan is a betrayal. It reflects the words and demands of Vladimir Putin. It implies the total surrender of a Ukraine stripped of much of its territory. “It offers no protection to the European Union against the Russian threat.”

After this Sunday’s meeting in Geneva, the president of the European Council has summoned the heads of State and Government of the 27 to a emergency meeting on Ukraine on the sidelines of the summit between the EU and the African Union taking place on Monday in Luanda.