© EPA-EFE/Darek Delmanowicz Essentially, the partners voiced objections to several aspects of Trump's strategy.
The demarcation line ought to be the baseline for any accord, and the Ukrainian military forces must sustain their preparedness for combat, communicated the office of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz following a combined phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron today, subsequent to the unveiling of the US “peace initiative” for Ukraine the preceding day.
The declaration conveys that European leaders reaffirmed their steadfast and complete backing for Ukraine on its journey toward a sustainable and equitable peace, lauded the initiatives of the United States, and concurred to closely synchronize their endeavors with one another, with additional European allies, and with Washington concerning this matter.
They reached a consensus that any pact influencing European nations, the European Union, or NATO must necessitate the endorsement of European collaborators or unanimity among allies.
“The leaders pledged to consistently pursue the aim of safeguarding crucial European and Ukrainian interests in the extended period. This encompasses, among other elements, guaranteeing that the demarcation line acts as the foundation for any understanding, and that the Ukrainian armed forces continue to be adept at effectively shielding Ukraine's independence,” the declaration specified.
As emphasized by Bloomberg, correspondingly, Kyiv's foremost European associates dismissed principal components of the US-Russian blueprint intended to conclude the war in Ukraine, which would have entailed considerable allowances to Kremlin head Vladimir Putin.
According to press accounts, Zelensky and Trump are also slated to conduct a phone conversation in the coming week to deliberate on the strategy presented to Ukraine to resolve the war. The FT documented that the Trump administration is applying pressure on Ukraine, insisting on the swiftest conceivable concurrence on novel “peace proposals”: the White House has established an “ambitious schedule” for Kyiv and anticipates Zelensky to ratify the document by Thanksgiving in the US – November 27.
The fresh “peace” US strategy to terminate the Russian-Ukrainian conflict encompasses 28 clauses, organized into nine segments. The primary one pertains to US security assurances for Ukraine, patterned after NATO's Article 5, Kyiv's renunciation of joining the Alliance, enshrined in the Constitution, constraint on the magnitude of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, virtual relinquishment of three territories, a demilitarized zone under Russian jurisdiction, progressive rescinding of anti-Russian sanctions, repatriation of prisoners in the “all for all” configuration and unconditional pardon, conducting elections 100 days post-agreement.
