— This is one of the most difficult moments in our history, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday evening in a video message to his nation. Trump gave him an ultimatum: by Thursday, November 27 this year. awaits consent. Otherwise, as American media unanimously report, the United States will withhold its military support.
Zelensky explained that his country only has to choose between a bad solution and a worse one. “We will either lose our dignity or risk losing a key partner. Either a difficult 28 points or an exceptionally difficult winter,” he said.
Two hours later, Zelensky announced that he was ready to negotiate Trump's plan. The American leader said in the White House that Zelensky “will have to accept this plan.”
The surprised Europeans met on Saturday in South Africa. They came to Johannesburg for the G20 summit [spotkanie najważniejszych krajów uprzemysłowionych i wschodzących gospodarek]. Trump, who did not find it necessary to be there, remotely turned the summit into a meeting devoted to the crisis in Ukraine. Another urgent meeting will be held on Sunday in Geneva. Germans, British, French, Americans, Ukrainians and probably Russians will be present.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer deliberated on how to respond to Trump's plan.
— Wars cannot be ended by great powers over the heads of the countries affected by the war, said Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a conversation with journalists. The consent of both Ukraine and Europeans is needed. – Because this is a war on the European continent – he explained.
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Merz also confirmed that security advisers from Germany, France and Great Britain will meet with colleagues from Ukraine and the United States on Sunday in Geneva. According to Zelensky, representatives of Russia are also expected to arrive. Time is pressing. Trump wants to push through his plan by Thursday, when Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US.
This is not enough for the head of the Green Party, Franziska Brantner. Calls on Merz to leave the EU-Africa summit [w poniedziałek w Angoli] and went to Kiev. – Merz must go directly from South Africa, together with Macron and Starmer, to Volodymyr Zelensky – he argues in an interview with “Bild”. Trump will not negotiate together with European NATO partners, “but against them.”
Europe says stop
Even without the solidarity visit to Ukraine, European leaders maintain close contact with the Ukrainian president and try to save what can still be saved. According to information from “Bild”, European countries are not particularly satisfied with four points of Trump's plan: :
Ukraine is to give Russia areas in the eastwhich Putin failed to conquer during three years and nine months of war.
It will also be a mistake to reduce the size of the Ukrainian army [z ok. 850 tys. do 600 tys. żołnierzy]
European leaders want to make Trump understand that the security guarantee that Russia is supposed to provide to Ukraine may not be worth the paper it is written on. Already in 1994, Moscow promised not to attack Ukraine
especially the German Chancellor irritated by Trump's financial promises. The US president wants to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine with $100 billion. [356 mld zł, po obecnym kursie] from Russia's frozen state assets and $100 billion. from Europe. The United States would oversee the investment and receive 50 percent in return. profits.
In this way, Russia regains new territories and at least two thirds of the frozen funds, the United States concludes new transactions, and Europeans pay. Meanwhile, the EU has already spent PLN 187 billion [ponad 793 mld zł, po obecnym kursie] to Ukraine.
If Trump's plan is implemented, it will be nothing short of dividing the world again. It would follow that the president of the United States [dowódca najsilniejszej armii świata] he preferred to reach an agreement with Moscow [dysponującą potężnym arsenałem broni atomowej] than to talk to their European NATO partners. In Trump's world, military power determines national borders and resources.
On Saturday, however, the US president changed his tone again. He explained that his peace plan is not necessarily a final offer, adding: “We are trying to end this one way or another.”
The head of the conservative EPP in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, in an interview for the Bild daily, calls for the transformation of the EU into the European NATO alliance. – We can no longer rely on the US without limits – he emphasizes.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
