European leaders hope to strengthen peace plan in Ukraine's favor ahead of U.S. talks

A U.S.-led peace plan that mirrors several key Russian demands has sent ripples across Europe, with leaders voicing concerns that it could leave Ukraine vulnerable and calling for changes to the proposals

A U.S.-led peace plan that mirrors several key Russian demands has sent ripples across Europe, with leaders voicing concerns that it could leave Ukraine vulnerable and calling for changes to the proposals.

European leaders and key allies met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa, and said in a joint statement that the plan requires additional work, adding that they are “concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack.”

The statement is signed by leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Norway, as well as the E.U. Commission, the E.U. Council. Japan and Canada's leaders also signed onto the statement, which warns that “borders must not be changed by force.”

President Donald Trump has set Thanksgiving as the deadline for Ukraine to agree to the 28-point framework, which suggests that Russia could be granted more territory than it holds, limits placed on Ukraine's army, and Kyiv prevented from ever joining NATO — Moscow's long-sought demands.

The U.S. proposals do include a security guarantee modeled on NATO’s Article 5, which would commit the U.S. and European allies to treat a future attack on Ukraine as an attack on the entire trans-Atlantic community, according to a U.S. official, though there are few specifics on what that would entail.