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Kyiv, Ukraine — In a show of transatlantic solidarity amid mounting pressures from the battlefield and diplomatic tables, the leaders of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom held an urgent phone call on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The discussion, which took place against the backdrop of a newly floated U.S. peace proposal for the Russia-Ukraine war, reaffirmed Europe's unwavering commitment to Kyiv while subtly underscoring concerns about the plan's alignment with Russian demands. As details of the 28-point American framework emerged — demanding territorial cessions from Ukraine and blocking its NATO aspirations — European officials expressed private frustration over being sidelined in its drafting, highlighting deepening fissures in Western unity nearly four years into Russia's full-scale invasion.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer conveyed to Zelenskyy their “unwavering and full support for Ukraine on the path to a lasting and just peace,” according to a statement from Merz’s office. The leaders explicitly welcomed U.S. efforts to broker an end to the conflict, praising commitments to Ukraine’s sovereignty and the provision of “robust security guarantees.” Yet the readout emphasized a critical caveat: any agreement must use the current line of contact as a baseline and ensure Ukraine’s armed forces remain capable of defending its territory effectively. “They agreed to continue pursuing the aim of protecting vital European and Ukrainian interests in the long term,” the statement noted, signaling a resolve to safeguard Kyiv’s agency amid proposals that could reshape the continent’s security architecture.
The call, reported to have lasted over an hour, came just hours after leaks revealed the contours of the U.S. plan, which President Donald Trump has endorsed as a pathway to resolution. Drafted in secret consultations between American envoys and Russian counterparts — without prior input from Ukraine or its European allies — the proposal echoes many of Moscow’s longstanding red lines. It calls for Ukraine to cede control over additional eastern territories, including parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts not yet fully occupied by Russian forces, and to recognize Crimea and other annexed areas as Russian. In exchange, the plan offers limited U.S.-led security assurances, but conditioned on Ukraine capping its military at 600,000 personnel, dismantling certain heavy weaponry, and enshrining a permanent ban on NATO membership in its constitution.
Zelenskyy, in a Telegram post following the European call, struck a measured tone, appreciating Trump’s “efforts and the work of his team” while noting that Ukrainian officials are “working on the document.” He stressed close coordination with European partners to embed Kyiv’s “principled positions” — sovereignty, territorial integrity, and robust deterrence — into any final deal. “We are fully aware that America’s strength and support can truly bring peace closer, and we do not want to lose that,” Zelenskyy added late Thursday, ahead of an anticipated direct conversation with Trump in the coming days.
The proposals arrive at a precarious juncture for Zelenskyy. On the front lines, Russian forces — bolstered by a numerical edge in manpower and artillery — have intensified offensives, particularly around Pokrovsk in Donetsk, where advances have strained Ukrainian defenses. Domestically, a sprawling corruption probe implicating high-level officials in defense procurement has eroded public trust and fueled Kremlin narratives of Ukrainian instability. A senior European government official described the U.S. plan as “quite concerning,” warning that “a bad deal for Ukraine would also be a threat to broader European security,” reflecting fears that concessions could embolden Moscow to test NATO’s eastern flank elsewhere.
European responses have been calibrated to avoid alienating the Trump administration, with public statements commending American initiative while privately urging revisions. At the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced she would soon call Zelenskyy to discuss the 28-point outline. “Important is a key principle we have always upheld, and that is nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” she declared. European Council President Antonio Costa echoed this, noting the EU had received no official briefing on the plan.
From Moscow, the reaction was characteristically opaque. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had not formally received the document, dismissing leaks as “innovations” without substance, though he acknowledged ongoing U.S.-Russian diplomatic channels.
The U.S. blueprint’s origins trace to backchannel talks initiated shortly after Trump’s inauguration earlier this year. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Rustem Umerov, Zelenskyy’s top defense adviser, to hash out initial terms. Umerov has rebutted claims that he endorsed most provisions, insisting his role was limited to facilitating meetings and that ongoing technical discussions in Kyiv prioritize “Ukraine’s unchanging principles — sovereignty, people’s security, and a just peace.”
As diplomatic wires cross, the war’s human cost persists unabated. Overnight Thursday into Friday, a Russian glide bomb slammed into a residential neighborhood in Zaporizhzhia, southern Ukraine, killing five civilians and wounding ten, including a teenage girl. Regional military administrator Ivan Fedorov reported the blast gutted high-rise apartments for the third time since the invasion’s outset and obliterated a local market. In a parallel assault, Russian drones targeted Odesa’s residential districts, injuring five more, among them a 16-year-old boy. These attacks followed a devastating barrage on Ternopil two days earlier, where missiles pulverized apartment blocks, claiming 31 lives — including six children — and injuring 94 others, with 13 people still missing.
The United Nations has recorded over 12,000 Ukrainian civilian deaths since February 2022. As Zelenskyy navigates this multilateral tightrope — balancing U.S. leverage against European bulwarks — the specter of a lopsided peace looms large. Analysts warn that without Kyiv’s veto power, the plan risks entrenching Russian gains and inviting further aggression. “Peace cannot be imposed; it must be forged with Ukraine at the center,” von der Leyen reiterated in Johannesburg, a sentiment echoed across Europe’s capitals.
For now, Friday’s call has steadied nerves in Kyiv, but the road ahead bristles with uncertainty. Zelenskyy’s expected dialogue with Trump could pivot the trajectory, yet with Russian bombs still falling and major concessions on the table, a truly just peace feels as elusive as ever.
