The heads of state and government of Germany, France, Great Britain, and Ukraine have discussed the US plans for ending Russia's war of aggression. They emphasized that an agreement would only be possible with the support of their European partners.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the US peace plan. According to government spokesman Stefan Kornelius, the four leaders welcomed the US efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

"They particularly welcomed the commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and the willingness to provide Ukraine with solid security guarantees," the German government stated in a press release. The four heads of state and government agreed to coordinate their efforts with each other, as well as with other European partners and Washington.

"To safeguard European and Ukrainian interests in the long term"

According to the German government, the agreed goal was"to safeguard vital European and Ukrainian interests in the long term." This includes the contact line being the starting point for any understanding, and the Ukrainian armed forces remaining capable of effectively defending Ukraine's sovereignty.

They also agreed that"any agreement concerning European states, the European Union or NATO requires the approval of the European partners or a consensus of the allies".

Ukraine would have to give up two regions

Several US media outlets, including the news portal Axios, had leaked a draft of a 28-point US plan in the preceding days, which, among other things, calls for the cession of large areas of eastern Ukraine to Russia and new elections in Ukraine. Ukraine is to cede the annexed Crimean Peninsula as well as the Luhansk and Donetsk regions to Russia.

According to the plan, the two regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, which are partially controlled by Russia, would be divided along the current front line. Furthermore, Ukraine would enshrine a commitment to not joining NATO in its constitution. NATO would be obligated not to admit Ukraine in the future and not to station troops in the country.

Furthermore, the plan envisions reducing and limiting the Ukrainian army to 600,000 soldiers. In return, Ukraine would receive"reliable security guarantees." EU membership is also theoretically open to Ukraine.

Media report about ultimatum

According to US government spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, the plan was developed over several weeks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff. It is a"good plan for both Russia and Ukraine," Leavitt said. The plan has the support of US President Trump.

According to insiders, the US has increased pressure on the government in Kyiv to agree to the framework agreement. The pressure is greater than in previous negotiations and includes the threat of halting arms and intelligence deliveries, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The US wants Ukraine to sign the agreement by next Thursday, one insider said.