KYIV: Ukraine and its European allies scrambled Saturday to come up with counter-proposals after US President Donald Trump gave Kyiv a tight deadline to approve a deal to end the war that accepts some of Russia&#39;s hardline demands.&nbsp;President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed back against the 28-point US plan. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has welcomed the proposal, which would force Ukraine to give up land, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO.&nbsp;French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Saturday on the the sidelines of a G20 summit in South Africa, the French presidency said.&nbsp;The huddle was held ahead of a wider meeting on the same topic that would include other European leaders, the presidency said.&nbsp;Starmer had earlier said the aim was to &quot;look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations&quot;.&nbsp;European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the allies should make it clear &quot;that there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.&quot;&nbsp;US Vice President JD Vance reacted to the criticism of the plan, saying it &quot;either misunderstands the framework or misstates some critical reality on the ground.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;There is a fantasy that if we just give more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, victory is at hand,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Ukraine faces one of the most challenging moments in its history, Zelensky said in an address to the nation, adding that he would propose alternatives to Trump&#39;s proposal.&nbsp;A top Ukrainian official on Saturday said Kyiv would launch talks with the US in Switzerland to discuss ways to end the war. The delegation will be led by Zelensky&#39;s top aide Andriy Yermak.&nbsp;Better equipped and larger in numbers, the Russian army is slowly but steadily gaining ground across the lengthy front line.&nbsp;Ukrainians were meanwhile facing one of the toughest winters since the war began, as Moscow carried out a brutal bombing campaign against energy infrastructure.&nbsp;This comes as a sweeping corruption probe that unveiled graft in the energy sector was unravelling in Kyiv, sparking public outcry.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump has given Ukraine less than a week to sign. Zelensky pledged to work to ensure any deal would not &quot;betray&quot; Ukraine&#39;s interests, acknowledging he risked losing Washington as an ally.

Europe

Ukraine and its European partners hurried to prepare alternative proposals after US President Donald Trump set a strict deadline for Kyiv to accept a peace deal including some of Russia's tough conditions.

Articles tagged with "President Volodymyr Zelensky"

Ukraine, Europe scramble to respond to US plan to end war