European foreign ministers have demanded a seat at the table in any peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, following reports of a draft US-Russian plan that would force Ukraine to cede territory and curb its sovereignty. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said any meaningful peace effort must include both Ukraine and Europe. “We welcome all the meaningful efforts to end this war, but it has to be just and lasting. That also means that the Ukrainians, but also the Europeans, agree to this,” she told reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
The reported plan, which emerged in media reports on Wednesday, would require Ukraine to surrender territory and hand over unprecedented political and military control to Russia. It came as a massive Russian drone and missile attack on western Ukraine killed at least 26 people and injured more than 100. Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, insisted that any ceasefire or peaceful development regarding Ukraine must be negotiated with Kyiv and include Europe. France’s Jean-Noël Barrot added that peace cannot mean capitulation, stressing that Russia and President Vladimir Putin remain an obstacle to peace.
Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, noted that Europe is the main supporter of Ukraine and its security is at stake, so Europe expects to be consulted. He expressed hope that any restrictions would apply to the aggressor, not the victim. Separately, EU ministers are stalled over a plan to use frozen Russian assets to generate a €140bn loan for Ukraine, as Belgium seeks guarantees against legal risks. Russia’s parliament, the Duma, has unanimously passed a resolution warning that any confiscation of Russian assets would violate sovereign rights and could lead to legal action against Belgium and Euroclear, the Brussels-based depository holding most of the frozen funds.
