Starmer and other European leaders express concerns over America's Ukraine peace plan
Sir Keir said that allies of Ukraine would use the "margins" of the G20 summit to discuss how to "secure a full ceasefire and create the space for meaningful peace negotiations"
Sir Keir Starmer and 12 other European and international leaders have called the US-drafted peace plan for Ukraine “a basis which will require additional work”.
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Reports suggest that Washington has pressed Kyiv to accept the agreement, which would see them making major concessions including giving up territory and reducing the size of its army.
It is understood that representatives from Kyiv and its European allies were left out of the diplomatic process that led to the proposal.
Western nations are scrambling to respond to the proposals as they meet in South Africa this weekend.
US President Donald Trump, however, will not be in attendance - shunning the meeting over widely rejected claims that white people are being persecuted in South Africa.
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A joint statement, issued by the European Council, says: “We welcome the continued US efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.
“The initial draft of the 28-point plan includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace.
“We believe therefore that the draft is a basis which will require additional work.
“We are ready to engage in order to ensure that a future peace is sustainable.
“We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force.
“We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack.
“We reiterate that the implementation of elements relating to the European Union and relating to Nato would need the consent of EU and Nato members respectively.
“We take this opportunity to underline the strength of our continued support to Ukraine. We will continue to coordinate closely with Ukraine and the US over the coming days.”
In Johannesburg, Sir Keir held 25-minute talks with France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz over the potential deal, before opening the meeting up to a dozen G7 and G20 leaders - including Japan, Canada, Italy, Norway and the European Union.
The 28-point plan for Ukraine is said to have been negotiated by the US president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin representative Kirill Dmitriev.
Before Saturday’s summit, Sir Keir said that allies of Ukraine would use the "margins" of the G20 summit to discuss how to "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.”
The Prime Minister went on to condemn Moscow for sending nearly 1,000 drones and 54 precision guided missiles in the past week alone, saying there “is only one country around the G20 table that is not calling for a ceasefire”.
“Ukraine has been ready to negotiate for months, while Russia has stalled and continued its murderous rampage.
“That is why we must all work together, with both the US and Ukraine, to secure a just and lasting peace once and for all. We will continue to co-ordinate closely with Washington and Kyiv to achieve that.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin is also not in attendance at the gathering of the world’s leading economies.
On Friday, he cautiously welcomed the US proposal, saying it “could form the basis of a final peace settlement”, but emphasised that the plan had not been discussed with the Russian side “in any substantive way” thus far.
Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address to his nation that it 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”.
It followed his 40-minute call with Sir Keir, Mr Macron and Mr Merz, in which the European leaders emphasised that Ukraine “must determine its future under its sovereignty”.
The Prime Minister said they had emphasised to Mr Zelenskyy their support for Ukraine and the “fundamental principle” that Kyiv should be in charge of its own destiny.
Mr Trump told Fox News Radio on Friday he wanted a response to the peace plan from Ukraine by Thursday, but did suggest an extension could be possible.
Asked what it meant to “strengthen” Washington’s plans, Downing Street declined to “get ahead of those discussions” but denied they were viewed as weak by friends of Kyiv.
Pressed on whether Britain had been cut out of Mr Trump’s peace negotiations, Sir Keir’s spokesman said he did not “accept that at all” as he stressed the “excellent relationship” between the US and UK leaders.