Leaders from Europe, Canada and Japan have urged further work on a US-drafted 28-point plan intended to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, expressing serious reservations about several of its provisions. At the G20 summit in Johannesburg, officials from Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Germany and Norway — together with two senior EU representatives — signed a joint statement saying the US draft "could be a basis" for negotiations but requires additional effort before it can be the foundation for a lasting peace. They underscored a core principle: borders must not be redrawn by force. The statement also voiced alarm about proposed limits on Ukraine’s armed forces, warning such caps could leave Kyiv less able to deter future aggression. It noted that any clauses touching on European Union or NATO arrangements would require the consent of those organisations' members. The draft, widely circulated in recent days, includes several concessions that Western partners say risk rewarding Russia. It would recognise Moscow's de facto control over the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the Crimea peninsula annexed in 2014, and would freeze the borders of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia along current battle lines. It also calls for Ukraine to withdraw from certain areas of Donetsk it now controls. Other elements would limit Ukraine's military to 600,000 personnel and envisage European combat aircraft being based in neighbouring Poland. The plan promises "reliable security guarantees" for Kyiv but offers no detailed framework for those guarantees in the leaked text. It also anticipates that Russia will refrain from invading other states and that NATO expansion would cease — and suggests pathways for Moscow's reintegration into the global economy, including removal of sanctions and a possible return to the G7. US President Donald Trump told reporters the draft is not his final offer, saying "No, not my final offer," and that negotiations would continue. He has set a deadline of 27 November for Ukraine to accept the US proposals; Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the draft could serve as a basis for a settlement. Kyiv has warned the plan presents a stark dilemma. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine faces "one of the most difficult moments" as it weighs a proposal many see as favourable to Moscow. Zelensky has appointed his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, to head Ukraine's negotiating team and pledged to engage constructively while defending national interests and preventing another large-scale invasion. Diplomatic talks are due to continue in Geneva on Sunday, where security officials from Britain, France, Germany, the United States and Ukraine will meet. The US delegation will include Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff; the UK will be represented by its national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, according to organisers. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, attending the G20, spoke with both Zelensky and Trump on Saturday and said teams from allied countries would collaborate on the proposal. Moscow says it has received the US draft and is prepared to show "flexibility," but Putin cautioned he is also ready to keep fighting. Meanwhile Kyiv remains heavily reliant on advanced Western weaponry and intelligence — supplies officials say are vital to countering Russian air attacks and maintaining battlefield defences. Allies who backed the joint G20 statement signalled willingness to work on the plan, but made clear they will press for revisions to ensure any settlement preserves Ukraine's sovereignty, secures its ability to defend itself, and does not legitimise territorial gains obtained through force.
