Europe unveils counterproposal to Trump peace plan with major differences

The Telegraph reported that the European plan to end the war in Ukraine differs sharply from the controversial 28-point proposal put forward by the Trump administration. It added that the European plan is far more supportive of Ukraine and recognizes the enormous losses the country has suffered during the war.

What the European plan includes:

• Special measures will be created after the war to maintain peace and security.
• Russia and Ukraine commit to observing a ceasefire everywhere — in the air, on land, and at sea.
• Russia and Ukraine begin negotiations immediately on third-party monitoring of the ceasefire.
• Ukraine's allies, led by the US, will conduct this monitoring. Most of it is expected to be remote, using satellites, drones, and other tools.
• Both sides will be able to file reports of ceasefire violations through a dedicated mechanism.
• Russia must return all Ukrainian children who were taken from the country. Third-party nations from among Ukraine's partners will oversee the process.
• Both sides will conduct a prisoner exchange under the All for All principle. The Kremlin must release all Ukrainian civilian detainees.
• Territorial negotiations will be conducted solely based on the current line of contact.
• After the war, both sides will work together to provide humanitarian assistance to affected regions.
• Ukraine's sovereignty is reaffirmed. Neutrality is not an option.
• Ukraine receives legally binding security guarantees, including from the US, modeled on NATO's Article 5.
• There can be no restrictions on Ukraine's Armed Forces or its defense industry.
• A group of European countries and other interested states will serve as Kyiv's security guarantors. Ukraine will have the right to host allied forces on its territory.
• Ukraine may join NATO if all members agree.
• Ukraine joins the European Union. This is not subject to negotiation.
• Ukraine remains a non-nuclear state.
• Any territorial issues will be discussed with Russia only after a full ceasefire is in place.
• Once territorial issues are agreed, both sides commit not to change them by force. The document says nothing about diplomatic pathways.
• Ukraine restores control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant with US involvement, and over the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Plant. Kyiv also receives unimpeded navigation on the Dnipro River and control over the Kinburn Spit.
• There are no restrictions on economic cooperation between Ukraine and its partners.
• Ukraine receives compensation, including from Russian assets. Those assets remain frozen until Russia pays compensation.
• Sanctions on Russia may be gradually eased once a durable peace is achieved. If Russia violates the agreement, sanctions will be reinstated.
• All OSCE countries will hold talks on European security.

The outlets note the scale of the differences between the European and US plans. Several points highlight the most notable changes:

• All references to NATO non-expansion, one of the US plan's requirements, have been completely removed.
• Ukraine's Armed Forces will be capped at 800,000 personnel. The US plan proposed a limit of 600,000.
• Ukraine may join NATO if all members reach a consensus. The requirement to enshrine NATO rejection in Ukraine's Constitution is removed, as is the demand that NATO amend its statutes to bar Ukraine.
• NATO will not station troops in Ukraine during peacetime. The US plan said such a deployment would be impossible at all.
• Ukraine will receive a US guarantee similar to Article 5. The US plan referred only vaguely to "US guarantees."
• The requirement for Ukraine to abandon long-range weapons has been removed.
• Sanctions on Russia will be lifted gradually, not immediately as proposed in the US plan.
• The US reconstruction model for Ukraine is fully rejected. Ukraine will rebuild using support from partners and frozen Russian assets. Russia will not regain access to those assets until it compensates Ukraine for all damages.
• The US-Russia "monitoring group" concept is rejected. The monitoring group will include Ukraine and European states instead.
• US demands concerning "racism, education programs, and Nazi ideology," language that appears lifted from Russian talking points, are rejected. Ukraine will instead adopt EU standards on religious tolerance and protection of linguistic minorities.
• Territorial negotiations will start only based on the line of contact. All US proposals on "territorial transfers" or "recognition of Russian control" are rejected.
• No timeline for elections in Ukraine is specified. The US plan called for elections within 100 days.
• The European plan rejects any possibility of amnesty for Russian war crimes, a requirement included in the US plan.

A meeting on the peace plan took place in Geneva on November 23 with representatives from the US, Ukraine, the UK, France, and Germany. The final version will be agreed upon directly at the meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already said the American plan will be amended following talks with Ukraine in Geneva. This was confirmed by Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, who said today's US-Ukraine meeting in Geneva on the peace plan was "very productive."