Ukraine war live: Trump’s peace plan condemned as Zelensky faces tough choice

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed Ukraine on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa, the Canadian government said Saturday.

The two leaders reaffirmed their support and stressed that any settlement of the war in Ukraine must include Kiev, respect Ukraine’s core interests and provide security guarantees, the Canadian government said in a statement.

It said Carney was committed to working with allies to reach a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine.

Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelensky and the French and German leaders agreed to “coordinate with partners and allies in the coming days”, including at the Johannesburg G20 summit, on a plan to end the war, Number 10 said.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister spoke this afternoon to French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Discussing diplomatic developments in recent days, the leaders reiterated their unwavering commitment to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

“They underlined their support for President Trump’s campaign for peace and agreed that any solution must fully include Ukraine, preserve its sovereignty and ensure its future security.

“The leaders agreed to coordinate with partners and allies, including the G20, in the coming days as discussions continued on how to achieve lasting peace.”

Sir Keir Starmer has condemned Russia as he said he is “the only country around the G20 table that is not calling for a ceasefire” as he criticized Moscow for sending almost 1,000 drones and 54 precision guided missiles last week alone.

The Prime Minister said: “Ukraine has been ready for talks for months, while Russia has stalled and continued its murderous orgy.

“That is why we must all work together with both the United States and Ukraine to ensure a just and lasting peace forever.

“We will continue to coordinate closely with Washington and Kiev to achieve this.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin cautiously welcomed the US proposal on Friday, saying it “could become the basis for a final peace agreement”.

But he said the plan was not discussed with the Russian side “in any substantive way” and he believed this was because the US could not get Ukraine’s consent.

Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet Ukraine’s allies at the Johannesburg G20 summit today to “reinforce” a plan drawn up by the US to end the war with Russia.

Washington reportedly pressured Kiev to accept the deal, which would require the invader country to make major concessions, including giving up territory and reducing the size of its military.

Western countries are scrambling to respond to proposals that are troubling them.

G7 leaders and others in the G20 will discuss the deal on the sidelines of a South Africa meeting rejected by Donald Trump.

The 28-point plan is said to have been negotiated by US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin representative Kirill Dmitriev, while Kiev and European allies were kept out of the process.

Ahead of Saturday’s talks, Sir Kiir said: “Ukraine’s friends and partners will meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit to discuss how we can ensure a full ceasefire and create space for meaningful peace talks.

“We will discuss the existing 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 ‘deal’ being touted by Washington and Moscow is actually just a blueprint for Russian victory. Sam Kiely, World Affairs Editor, Explains why this should not happen.

US Vice President JD Vance said that any plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine must preserve Ukrainian sovereignty and be acceptable to both countries, but that it is a “fantasy” to think that Ukraine can win if the US just gives Kiev more money or weapons or imposes more Russian sanctions.