Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet Ukraine’s allies at the Johannesburg G20 summit on Saturday to seek to “strengthen” a US-drafted plan to end the war with Russia. Washington reportedly pressed Kyiv to accept the agreement, which would see the invaded country make major concessions including giving up territory and cutting the size of its army.
Western nations have been scrambling to respond to the proposals that appeared to catch them off guard. G7 leaders plus others from the G20 will discuss the deal on the sidelines of the South African meeting shunned by Donald Trump. The 28-point plan is said to have been negotiated by US President's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin representative Kirill Dmitriev, with Kyiv and European allies left out of the process.
Ahead of Saturday’s talks, Sir Keir said: “Ukraine’s friends and partners will meet in the margins of the G20 summit to discuss how we can secure a full ceasefire and create the space for meaningful peace negotiations. We will discuss the current proposal on the table, and in support of President Trump’s push for peace, look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations.” He condemned Moscow for sending nearly 1,000 drones and 54 precision guided missiles in the past week alone.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday cautiously welcomed the US proposal, saying it “could form the basis of a final peace settlement” but that it had not been discussed with the Russian side “in any substantive way”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine faced “one of the most difficult moments” in its history, facing a choice between “losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner”. Trump told Fox News Radio he wanted a response from Ukraine by Thursday, while suggesting an extension could be possible.
Downing Street declined to “get ahead of those discussions” on what it meant to “strengthen” the plan, but denied the proposals were viewed as weak by friends of Kyiv. Sir Keir’s spokesman stressed the “excellent relationship” between the US and UK leaders, rejecting the idea that Britain had been cut out of negotiations. Separately, Sir Keir will announce a £4 billion maritime agreement with Indonesia, creating 1,000 jobs in Rosyth, Bristol and Plymouth.
