EUROPE has made a counter offer to Donald Trump’s peace plan – including Vladimir Putin’s return to the G8 and a cap on Ukraine’s army.
The deal dishes out a string of concessions to Russia and could also see Volodymyr Zelensky out of power – a key Kremlin demand.
The new blueprint was thrashed out by European allies and US officials in Geneva on Sunday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the US was considering the proposed tweaks to Trump’s 28-point plan and “making some changes”.
He said: “I think this is a very, very meaningful, I would say probably best meeting and day we’ve had so far in this entire process.”
Under the European plan, Russia would be “progressively re-integrated into the global economy”.
It adds that mad Vlad could be let back into the G8 as part of these efforts.
The new deal also outlines a cap on Ukraine’s military which will only be allowed to reach “800,000 in peacetime”.
This has been increased from the US-Russia proposal which limited the size of the army to 600,000.
On top of this Volodymyr Zelensky would also be forced to hold elections “as soon as possible”.
But most crucially – the European offer ditches Russia’s brazen demand that Ukraine give up the rest of the Donbas region.
This key element rebukes one of the most humiliating part of Trump’s initial plan for Ukraine – that Kyiv give up large swathes of territory, some not even occupied by Russia at all.
Addressing how territory will be sliced up, the new blueprint reads: “Negotiations on territorial swaps will start from the line of contact [frontline]”
The new plan also proposes that Ukraine gets a security guarantee from Washington, similar to Nato’s Article 5 clause.
Europe’s plan also demands that Russia’s sovereign assets remain frozen until Putin pays compensation for all the damage caused by his brutal full-scale invasion.
The deal also gets rid of a clause that would have seen the US gain 50 per cent of future profits from frozen Russian assets invested in Ukraine.
The bold counter offer was drawn up by the UK, Germany and France.
The European counter offer
- Ukraine’s sovereignty to be reconfirmed
- There will be a total and complete non-aggression agreement reached between Russia and Ukraine and Nato. All ambiguities from the last 30 years will be resolved
(Point three of the US-Russia plan has been removed. It read: “There will be the expectation that Russia will not invade its neighbours and Nato will not expand further”)
- After a peace agreement is signed, a dialogue between Russia and Nato will convene to address all security concerns and create a de-escalatory environment to ensure global security and increase the opportunity for connectivity and future economic opportunity
- Ukraine will receive robust security guarantees
- Size of Ukraine military to be capped at 800,000 in peacetime
- Ukraine joining Nato depends on consensus of Nato members, which does not exist
- Nato agrees not to permanently station troops under its command in Ukraine in peacetime
- Nato fighter jets will be stationed in Poland
- US guarantee that mirrors Article 5
a. US to receive compensation for the guarantee
b. If Ukraine invades Russia, it forfeits the guarantee
c. If Russia invades Ukraine, in addition to a robust coordinated military response, all global sanctions will be restored and any kind of recognition for the new territory and all other benefits from this agreement will be withdrawn
- Ukraine is eligible for EU membership and will get short-term preferred market access to Europe while this is being evaluated
- Robust Global Redevelopment Package for Ukraine including but not limited to:
a. Creation of Ukraine Development fund to invest in high-growth industries including technology, data centres and Al efforts
b. The United States will partner with Ukraine to jointly restore, grow, modernize and operate Ukraine’s gas infrastructure, which includes its pipeline and storage facilities
c. A joint effort to redevelop areas impacted by the war to restore, redevelop and modernize cities and residential areas
d. Infrastructure development
e. Mineral and natural resource extraction
f. A special financing package will be developed by the World Bank to provide financing to accelerate these efforts
- Russia to be progressively re-integrated into the global economy
a. Sanction relief will be discussed and agreed upon in phases and on a case-by-case basis
b. The United States will enter into a long-term Economic Cooperation Agreement to pursue mutual development in the areas of energy, natural resources, infrastructure, AI, datacenters, rare earths, joint projects in the Arctic, as well as various other mutually beneficial corporate opportunities.
c. Russia to be invited back into the G8
- Ukraine will be fully reconstructed and compensated financially, including through Russian sovereign assets that will remain frozen until Russia compensates damage to Ukraine
- A joint security taskforce will be established with the participation of US, Ukraine, Russia and the Europeans to promote and enforce all of the provisions of this agreement
- Russia will legislatively enshrine a non-aggression policy towards Europe and Ukraine
- The United States and Russia agree to extend nuclear non-proliferation and control treaties, including Fair Start
- Ukraine agrees to remain a non-nuclear state under the NPT
- The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant will be restarted under supervision of the IAEA, and the produced power shall be shared equitably in a 50-50 split between Russia and Ukraine
- Ukraine will adopt EU rules on religious tolerance and the protection of linguistic minorities
- Ukraine commits not to recover its occupied sovereign territory through military means. Negotiations on territorial swaps will start from the line of contact
- Once future territorial arrangements have been agreed, both the Russian Federation and Ukraine undertake not to change these arrangements by force. Any security guarantees will not apply if there is a breach of this obligation
- Russia shall not obstruct Ukraine’s use of the Dnieper River for purposes of commercial activities, and agreements will be reached for grain shipments to move freely through the Black Sea
- A humanitarian committee will be established to resolve open issues:
a. All remaining prisoners and bodies will be exchanged on the principle of all for all
b. All civilian detainees and hostages will be returned, including children
c. There will be a family reunification program
d. Provisions will be made to address the suffering of victims from the conflict
- Ukraine will hold elections as soon as possible after the signing of the peace agreement
- Provision will be made to address the suffering of victims of the conflict
- This agreement will be legally binding. Its implementation will be monitored and guaranteed by a Board of Peace, chaired by President Donald J Trump. There will be penalties for violation
- Upon all sides agreeing to this memorandum, a ceasefire will be immediately effective upon both parties withdrawing to the agreed upon points for the implementation of the agreement to begin. Ceasefire modalities, including monitoring, will be agreed by both parties under US supervision
Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to Trump following Europe’s new proposal – and Zelensky has also praised the US leader following a TruthSocial lash out.
Trump blasted both Ukraine and Europe for showing “zero gratitude” in response to his initial deal which was branded a “surrender” to Putin.
The increasingly impatient US president previously gave Ukraine a deadline of Thursday to accept his plan.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: “Right now, I’m not yet convinced we’re going to get the solution President Trump wants in the next few days.”
The old proposed plan drawn up by Russia and the US would have forced Ukraine to cede occupied eastern territory, restrict its military to 600,000 and abandon ambitions to join Nato.
The plan would also freeze front lines in the south, while seeing sanctions lifted and Russian energy reopened to Western markets.
European leaders warned it left Ukraine exposed to mad Vlad’s demands and future territorial ambitions.
But in response to the blow back, Trump said it was not his final offer.
