Explainer
Ukraine
war briefing: Macron says without deterrence in Ukraine plan, ‘Russians will
come back’
French
president among European leaders pushing back against US proposal to end the
war; Trump says deal is not his ‘final offer’. What we know on day 1,369
Guardian
staff and agencies
Sun 23
Nov 2025 04.00 CET
Emmanuel
Macron said on Saturday that Russia would “betray” its promise and “come back”
if Ukraine was forced to reduce its army, as proposed under Donald Trump’s
plan. The French president was among European leaders meeting at a G20 summit
in South Africa who have pushed back at the one-sided plan by Trump that aims
to end the war in Ukraine: “We know that if there are no elements of
deterrence, the Russians will come back and break their promises,” Macron told
journalists. He also said any plan “requires broader consultation” and had to
allow for peace for Ukrainians and “security for all Europeans”.
Speaking
to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, Donald Trump said the US
proposal was not his “final offer”. “One way or the other, we have to get it
ended,” the US president said. US senators critical of the plan said Saturday
that US secretary of state Marco Rubio told them the peace plan Trump is
pushing Kyiv to accept is a “wish list” of the Russians. Rubio later insisted
the proposal was authored by Washington “as a strong framework for ongoing
negotiations”.
Ukrainian
and American officials will meet in Switzerland on Sunday for talks to discuss
the plan, after Washington sent Kyiv the plan. It calls on Ukraine to cede
territory, accept limits on its military and renounce ambitions to join Nato.
It also contains some proposals Moscow may object to and requires its forces to
pull back from some areas they have captured, according to a draft seen by
Reuters.
The US
proposal “is a basis which will require additional work”, western leaders said
on Saturday at the G20 summit, marked by the absence of Trump. The leaders of
key European countries as well as Canada and Japan said in a joint statement:
“We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. We
are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which
would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack.”
Ukraine
said on Saturday that Russian forces had attempted without success to advance
to the central part of the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk by taking
advantage of fog. “However, these actions were unsuccessful, and the enemy is
being eliminated in the urban area,” Ukraine’s general staff wrote on Telegram.
US
officials have told Nato allies they expect to push Volodymyr Zelenskyy into
agreeing to a peace deal in the coming days, under the threat that if Kyiv does
not sign, it will face a much worse deal in future. US army secretary Dan
Driscoll briefed ambassadors from Nato nations at a meeting in Kyiv late on
Friday, after talks with Zelenskyy. “No deal is perfect, but it must be done
sooner rather than later,” he told them, according to one person who was
present.
Speaking
on Saturday, Zelenskyy said real or “dignified” peace was always based on
“guaranteed security and justice”. He announced a negotiating team that would
soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by his chief of staff, Andriy
Yermak. He also announced talks with Ukraine’s partners on steps to end the
war, reports Reuters.
German
chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had made clear in a phone call to Trump that
Europe needs to be a part of any process to end the war in Ukraine. “If Ukraine
loses this war and possibly collapses, it 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,” Merz said.
Leaders
of eight Nordic and Baltic nations on Saturday reaffirmed their support for
Kyiv by supplying arms while strengthening Europe’s defences to deter further
Russian aggression. In a joint statement, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland,
Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden said: “Russia has so far not committed to
a ceasefire or any steps leading to peace.” It added:
“Solutions
that respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and that will bring Ukraine and Europe
greater security and stability have our full support.” Polish president Karol
Nawrocki earlier said any peace plan for Ukraine must be accepted in Kyiv.
Ukraine
said it had received 31 civilians on Saturday who had been freed from jail in
Belarus, Kyiv’s prisoner exchange coordination committee said on the Telegram
messaging app.
UK prime
minister Keir Starmer will not visit Washington next week, it is understood,
amid reports that European leaders are considering visiting Donald Trump to
discuss his plan, reports the PA news agency.
The
Russian defence ministry said on Saturday that its forces had captured two
villages in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted
energy facilities in Russia’s Samara region, killing two people in the southern
city of Syzran, the region’s governor said on Saturday.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário