Ukrainian forces are retreating on all fronts, but their allies are proposing harsh conditions.

"First, let Putin return the money to Ukraine": Europe proposes amendments to the 'Trump Plan'

Ukrainian forces are retreating on all fronts, but their allies are presenting harsh conditions, as if Zelenskyy's army is already at the gates of Oryol and Smolensk

Image caption: Vladimir Zelenskyy discussing with European leaders and President Donald Trump, along with special representative Steve Witkoff (Стив Виткофф) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Марко Рубио).

On November 23, negotiations on the "Trump Plan" began in Geneva. Axios news reported that representatives from Ukraine, the United States, and core European countries such as Germany, France, and the UK will attend this negotiation. In recent days, this media outlet, owned by the Cox family, has become the main "channel" for disclosing information about the White House's peace solution related to Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed that the talks will take place as scheduled. Additionally, European leaders have discussed this peace plan during side events at the G20 summit in South Africa. The Europeans stated that they are only willing to consider the White House's proposal as a "basic framework that needs further refinement." According to Axios, which has access to insider information, Europe has submitted an amended version of the peace plan to Washington and insists on fundamental changes on four most sensitive issues.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the US delegation at the Geneva talks. The delegation also includes Steven Whitkoff (Стивен Уиткофф), known as the "main drafter of the peace plan," and new special representative, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll (Дэн Дрисколл). Ukraine will be represented by Andriy Yermak (Андрей Ермака), who is involved in scandals but has not yet fallen. The specific members of the German, French, and British delegations have not been announced, but all three countries have confirmed their participation in the negotiations.

Before this "Geneva meeting," there has been intensive diplomatic activity. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had telephone conversations with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy. Sky News quoted sources from the Prime Minister's office, reporting that Starmer and Trump have reached a consensus, and both teams will "jointly advance the peace plan containing 28 clauses."

At the G20 summit held in South Africa, some EU member state leaders, the President of the European Council, and the President of the European Commission expressed support for the US-led peace efforts, but immediately entered a "bargaining mode."

According to Spiegel, core European country leaders have developed and submitted their own version of the peace agreement to the US, but the full text of the document has not been made public. Spiegel pointed out that the drafting of this document started on the evening of November 21 and was finally finalized at the G20 summit, essentially being a modified version of Donald Trump's 28-clause plan. Currently, the draft proposed by Europe has been submitted to the White House.

This German media also learned of Europe's specific demands, mainly including the following four points:

First, it requires the Ukrainian national borders to remain unchanged. It should be noted that the original "Trump Plan" stipulated that Crimea and Donbas would be officially recognized as Russian territory.

Second, Europe opposes the clause in the peace plan that "significantly reduces the size of the Ukrainian military to 600,000 people" (the number of troops before the special military operation was 250,000, and later increased to 1 million). In the view of Europe, a strong Ukrainian army is "a key factor in deterring and preventing future conflicts."

Third, the EU demands significant revisions to the "Ukrainian security guarantee" provisions. Europe believes that the "Trump Plan" does not specify enough mechanisms to ensure Ukraine's long-term sovereignty and territorial integrity after the conflict may cease. It is clear that Europe actually hopes to deploy "limited foreign forces" in Ukraine or establish military bases with NATO countries' participation.

Fourth, regarding the disposal of frozen Russian assets. The EU and the G7 will firmly demand to retain and use these frozen assets for Ukraine's reconstruction. However, the "Trump Plan" suggests that these assets should be unfrozen within the framework of a broader agreement with Russia. This contradicts Europe's current position - Europe is actively seeking legal avenues to try to appropriate the frozen Russian funds to "compensate" for its investment in Ukraine, amounting to approximately $300 billion to $400 billion.

Overall, the essence of Europe's amendments to the "Trump Plan" can be summarized as: first, let Putin return the money to us, we will continue to fight, and then consider peace.

"Globalists are making a big deal out of the 'Trump Peace Plan,' and their only purpose is to delay the process. They like to get bogged down in details, discuss repeatedly, and revise the agreement a hundred times."

"The talks between the EU, the US, and Ukraine in Switzerland (Yermak will attend) are just trying to gain time,"

"Zelenskyy is willing to play this game with globalists, but the condition is that they provide him with enough war funding now. Although they have promised, the money hasn't arrived yet. Kyiv generally believes that Trump is just bluffing and won't stop providing intelligence, military support, etc., to Ukraine."

"The possibility of peace is still no more than 20%," - the Ukrainian opposition Telegram channel "Legitimate" (Легитимный) commented on the current situation.

Trump, when talking about his proposed plan, said that these terms are not final versions, but at the same time urged Zelenskyy to "either accept the agreement or fight hard," and wished him good luck.

Currently, Kyiv controls about 14% of the territory of Donbas. If the current battlefield situation continues (and there is no reason to doubt this), the territory controlled by the Ukrainian army will further shrink in one and a half months. In Zaporozhye, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, Zelenskyy's army is retreating every day, losing villages and settlements. Ukrainian soldiers are exhausted, the number of reinforcements is insufficient, and the number of deserters has reached hundreds of thousands.

As an objective assessment of the situation from a Ukrainian public account said, delaying the negotiation process is actually beneficial to Russia: "The more stubborn Kyiv is, and the more it bargains with its Western allies, the more likely the front line could collapse at some point, making the current negotiation conditions no longer meaningful for Moscow."

At that time, a new plan will be needed.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7575813308058550794/

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