Ukraine and the United States will soon meet in Switzerland to discuss Washington's plan for ending the war with Russia, Kyiv said Saturday, as it seeks to fix the draft that cedes to some of Moscow's hardline demands.
President Donald Trump gave Ukraine less than a week to approve the 28-point plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, which would see the invaded country ceding territory, cutting its army, and pledging to never join NATO.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's European allies, who were not included in drafting the agreement, said the plan requires "additional work" as they scrambled at the G20 summit in South Africa to come up with a counter-offer to Trump's plan to beef up Kyiv's positions.
"We're continuing to work with the Ukrainians to make this the best deal for them. We can't speak to ... their position, but the deal has — and always has been — a collaboration between the U.S., Ukrainians and the Russians," a U.S. official told Axios.
"That's why we're having talks. That's literally the definition of a negotiation," the person added.
The plan, drafted by Trump's enoy, Steve Witkoff, has angered European diplomats and officials over a clause that would allow the U.S. to manage $100 billion in frozen Russian assets meant to “be invested in U.S.-led efforts for Ukraine’s reconstruction and investment."
The document also said the U.S. “will receive 50% of the profit from this activity. Europe will add another $100 billion to increase total investment available for Ukraine’s recovery. Frozen European-held Russian funds will be unfrozen.”
The remainder of the assets will be invested in “a separate U.S.–Russia investment instrument, to be used for joint American-Russian investment projects in sectors strengthening global stability and mutual economic interests.”
The Witkoff idea is, “of course, scandalous,” a former French official told Politico.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the talks will be led by his top aide, Andriy Yermak.
"Our representatives know how to defend Ukraine's national interests and what is necessary to prevent Russia from launching a third invasion," Zelenskyy said.
The wartime leader was also holding rounds of phone calls with European counterparts, as he earlier promised to work round the clock to ensure the final peace agreement will protect Ukraine's future.
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's security council secretary who's also on board for the talks, earlier indicated Switzerland as a location for the deliberations.
"This is another stage of the dialogue that has been ongoing in recent days and is primarily aimed at aligning our vision for the next steps," added Umerov, formerly a defense minister. He previously led a few rounds of negotiations with Russia in Turkey, which only yielded prisoner exchanges and repatriation of bodies.
Zelensky's decree also said the negotiations will include "representatives of the Russian Federation." There was no immediate confirmation from Russia whether it would join the talks.
The unilateral U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine "is a basis which will require additional work," Western leaders gathered in South Africa for a G20 summit said Saturday.
"We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine's armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack," the leaders of key European countries as well as Canada and Japan said in a joint statement.
France's Emmanuel Macron earlier sent a somber message to the gathering, saying "the G20 may be coming to the end of a cycle," adding that the grouping was struggling to resolve major crises around the world, referring to the unilateral U.S. plan for resolving the Ukraine war.
Britain, Germany and France emerged as key Ukraine backers, providing it with crucial military and financial support, especially after the U.S. sponsorship waned after Trump's return to office.
Ukraine faces one of the most challenging moments in its history, Zelenskyy said Friday in an address to the nation, adding that he would propose alternatives to Trump's proposal.
"The pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest. Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner," Zelensky said in his address, referring to a possible break with Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the blueprint could "lay the foundation" for a final peace settlement, but threatened more land seizures if Ukraine walked away from negotiations.
Better equipped and larger in numbers, the Russian army is slowly but steadily gaining ground across the lengthy front line.
Ukrainians were meanwhile facing one of the toughest winters since the war began, after Moscow carried out a brutal bombing campaign against energy infrastructure.
This comes as a sweeping corruption probe that unveiled graft in the energy sector was unraveling in Kyiv, sparking public outcry.