Europe presents an initiative to ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasizes the necessity of Kyiv's participation in negotiations

Informed European sources revealed details of a European proposal in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's ceasefire plan in Ukraine, confirming that the European proposal should form a framework for the anticipated talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart to enhance the momentum of negotiations.

According to European officials, the countries supporting Ukraine rejected a Russian proposal for a ceasefire in exchange for the concession of Ukrainian-controlled areas in the Donetsk region. The European response came during a meeting with senior U.S. officials in England last Saturday, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The European initiative focuses on the necessity of a ceasefire as a first step before moving on to any subsequent actions. It also stipulates that any territorial exchange should be mutual, meaning that Ukraine's withdrawal from certain areas should be accompanied by Russia's withdrawal from other areas. The plan also emphasizes that any Ukrainian territorial concessions must be accompanied by strong security guarantees, including the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO.

This plan was discussed with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as U.S. envoys Keith Kellogg and Steve Witkoff.

In a related context, EU foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss the next steps during a video meeting today, with the participation of the Ukrainian foreign minister. Earlier, European leaders urged the necessity of involving Ukraine in the negotiations between Washington and Moscow, ahead of the anticipated summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska next Friday, in an attempt to find a solution to the ongoing crisis that has lasted for more than three years. They also emphasized the importance of European powers' participation in any agreement to end the conflict.

Disagreements between Moscow and Kyiv are escalating over the conditions for ending the conflict, with Russia demanding Ukraine's formal concession of four partially occupied regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, in addition to the Crimea peninsula, which it annexed in 2014. Moscow also demands a halt to the flow of Western weapons to Kyiv and Ukraine's abandonment of its NATO membership aspirations.

In contrast, Ukraine rejects these conditions and insists on the complete withdrawal of Russian forces, along with Western security guarantees that include the continued supply of weapons and the deployment of European forces on its territory. However, Kyiv acknowledges that the restoration of occupied territories cannot be achieved solely through military means but must rely on diplomatic solutions.