'EU needs its own Ukraine peace plans' - EU Commissioner Kubilius
Photo: EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius (Getty Images)
The European Union must develop its own peace plan for Ukraine instead of relying solely on initiatives coming from the United States.
This was stated by EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius, according to Politico.
Kubilius said the EU must be able to act independently, or at least be ready to take a strong position in geopolitical affairs. That includes having its own ideas on how peace in Ukraine can be achieved and discussing them with transatlantic partners.
According to the publication, Europe was caught off guard by the US peace plan of 28 points. European countries were also not represented at the Kremlin during the 2 December meeting between Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin.
EU officials fear that even if the current new Trump plan fails, another one may emerge within months. Against this backdrop, Kubilius added:
"Each six months, we're getting new plans and in some way I feel that we are waiting here to know the plans that will come from Washington this year. The plans should come also from Brussels or from Berlin."
The defence commissioner said Europe urgently needs to develop its own plan to end the war, so it can secure its place at the negotiating table.
He added that there should be space to discuss two plans: a European one and possibly an American one. The aim, he said, is to find synergy between them and reach the best outcome.
US peace plan
On 2 December, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow to discuss with Putin the updated US peace plan that had already been revised with Ukraine.
The meeting lasted five hours. After the talks, Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov told the press that no compromise had been reached, though both sides were ready to continue work.
Western media interpreted Ushakov’s words as a rejection of the current US plan, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later claimed this was not the case.
A few days later, Putin said he rejected part of the US proposals, and that the plan now contains 27 points divided into four packages. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, said that after revisions with the Ukrainian side, the document had been reduced to 20 points.
According to The New York Times, the US split its plan into four "packages", each intended for discussion with Russia. One package concerns Ukrainian sovereignty, including limits on troop numbers and missile ranges. Others involve territorial concessions, postwar economic cooperation between the US and Russia, and broader European security issues.
As of publication, it was still 4 December in the US. The Ukrainian delegation was expected to meet the American side that day. Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s task is to obtain full information about what was discussed in Moscow.
Presidential adviser Oleksandr Bezv said the Ukrainian side will review the modified peace plan drafted in Geneva. Further decisions will be made by the president of Ukraine.
