European Leaders To Discuss Ukraine's Future On Saturday Amid Fears Over Trump's Peace Plan

Last Updated:November 21, 2025, 23:47 IST

Ukraine's European allies were rattled over Trump's peace plan, which will force Kyiv to give up wide swathes of territory captured by Russian forces and cut its military strength.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. (Reuters File Image)

European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen on Friday said Ukraine must have a central role in deciding its future and that European leaders would hold discussions on Saturday on a US-backed peace plan that could see Kyiv lose wide swathes of territory captured by Russian forces.

After speaking to Zelenskyy, von der Leyen wrote on X, “From day one, Europe has stood with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. We have been working for a just and sustainable peace with Ukraine and for Ukraine together with our friends and partners."

“Today we have discussed the current situation and we are clear that there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. As next steps, European leaders will meet tomorrow in the margins of G20 and then in Angola at the EU-AU meeting," she said.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who’s earned the reputation of having the ear of Donald Trump, is also expected to join, a person briefed about the plans told Bloomberg. This came as Ukraine and its European allies pushed back against Trump’s plans, calling a capitulation by Ukraine with Russia getting what it wants.

ALSO READ: ‘Won’t Betray Ukraine’: Zelenskyy Rejects US-Backed Peace Plan That Could See Kyiv Lose Territory

Europe Concerned Over Trump’s Plan

The US plan envisages recognising Moscow-annexed Crimea and occupied eastern Ukraine as “de-facto" Russian, also requiring Kyiv to pull out from parts of the Donetsk region that it still controls, all clear red lines for Ukraine.

Ukraine and its major European allies — Germany, France, and the UK — have also rejected key parts of a proposed US-Russian peace plan. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, UK PM Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who agreed that Ukraine must keep strong defensive capabilities and that any peace talks should start from the current front line, not terms favoured by Moscow.

Zelenskyy rebuffed the US peace plan and acknowledged that Ukraine risks losing its key partner after the US threatened to cut off support to Kyiv if it did not agree. “Ukraine may face a hard choice — either the loss of our dignity or the loss of our key partner," he said.

The scope for Zelenskyy to avoid making major concessions to Moscow is narrowing as his country faces deadly Russian air strikes on energy infrastructure ahead of winter and uncertainty over continued western support, according to Bloomberg.

It’s European allies were also taken by surprise over the peace plan. The European Union has been struggling to agree on a mechanism that would unlock about $160 billion to sustain the Ukrainian war effort as the US is dialling back its support for Kyiv.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said any workable plan “needs Ukrainians and Europeans on board. We have to understand that in this war, there is one aggressor and one victim". Germany’s Merz stressed that Ukraine’s army “must remain capable of defending itself".

News world European Leaders To Discuss Ukraine's Future On Saturday Amid Fears Over Trump's Peace Plan

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