Any Ukraine peace plan needs Kyiv and Europe 'on board': EU

BRUSSELS, Belgium: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Thursday Kyiv and Europe needed to be involved in any Ukraine peace plan, as the US pushes a new proposal that appears to repeat Russia’s demands.

“For any plan to work, it needs Ukrainians and Europeans on board,” Kallas told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

“We have to understand that in this war, there is one aggressor and one victim. So we haven’t heard of any concessions on the Russian side.”

A source familiar with the US proposal told AFP Wednesday that it would see Kyiv ceding land to Moscow and more than halving its army.

American media outlet Axios earlier reported Moscow and Washington had been working on the secret plan to end the almost four-year war.

The source told AFP it was unclear if the proposals were backed by US President Donald Trump personally.

Kallas said that as far as she knew there had been no input from Ukraine or its European backers.

“We welcome all meaningful efforts to end this war, but like we have said before it has to be just and lasting,” she said.

“If Russia really wanted peace, it could have agreed to an unconditional ceasefire already.”

French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot insisted that peace in Ukraine could not mean “capitulation” for Kyiv.

“Discussions are needed for us to reach a just and durable peace in Ukraine, they should start with a ceasefire on the contact line that allows for orderly discussions on the question of territories and security,” he said.