Ukraine war briefing: Macron says without deterrence in Ukraine plan, ‘Russians will come back’

Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that Russia would “betray” its promise and “come back” if Ukraine was forced to reduce its army, as proposed under Donald Trump’s plan. The French president was among European leaders meeting at a G20 summit in South Africa who have pushed back at the one-sided plan by Trump that aims to end the war in Ukraine: “We know that if there are no elements of deterrence, the Russians will come back and break their promises,” Macron told journalists. He also said any plan “requires broader consultation” and had to allow for peace for Ukrainians and “security for all Europeans”. Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, Donald Trump said the US proposal was not his “final offer”. “One way or the other, we have to get it ended,” the US president said. US senators critical of the plan said Saturday that US secretary of state Marco Rubio told them the peace plan Trump is pushing Kyiv to accept is a “wish list” of the Russians. Rubio later insisted the proposal was authored by Washington “as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations”. Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Switzerland on Sunday for talks to discuss the plan, after Washington sent Kyiv the plan. It calls on Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military and renounce ambitions to join Nato. It also contains some proposals Moscow may object to and requires its forces to pull back from some areas they have captured, according to a draft seen by Reuters. The US proposal “is a basis which will require additional work”, western leaders said on Saturday at the G20 summit, marked by the absence of Trump. The leaders of key European countries as well as Canada and Japan said in a joint statement: “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.” Ukraine said on Saturday that Russian forces had attempted without success to advance to the central part of the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk by taking advantage of fog. “However, these actions were unsuccessful, and the enemy is being eliminated in the urban area,” Ukraine’s general staff wrote on Telegram. US officials have told Nato allies they expect to push Volodymyr Zelenskyy into agreeing to a peace deal in the coming days, under the threat that if Kyiv does not sign, it will face a much worse deal in future. US army secretary Dan Driscoll briefed ambassadors from Nato nations at a meeting in Kyiv late on Friday, after talks with Zelenskyy. “No deal is perfect, but it must be done sooner rather than later,” he told them, according to one person who was present. Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy said real or “dignified” peace was always based on “guaranteed security and justice”. He announced a negotiating team that would soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. He also announced talks with Ukraine’s partners on steps to end the war, reports Reuters. German chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had made clear in a phone call to Trump that Europe needs to be a part of any process to end the war in Ukraine. “If Ukraine loses this war and possibly collapses, it will have an impact on European politics as a whole, on the entire European continent. And that is why we are so committed to this issue,” Merz said. Leaders of eight Nordic and Baltic nations on Saturday reaffirmed their support for Kyiv by supplying arms while strengthening Europe’s defences to deter further Russian aggression. In a joint statement, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden said: “Russia has so far not committed to a ceasefire or any steps leading to peace.” It added:“Solutions that respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and that will bring Ukraine and Europe greater security and stability have our full support.” Polish president Karol Nawrocki earlier said any peace plan for Ukraine must be accepted in Kyiv. Ukraine said it had received 31 civilians on Saturday who had been freed from jail in Belarus, Kyiv’s prisoner exchange coordination committee said on the Telegram messaging app. UK prime minister Keir Starmer will not visit Washington next week, it is understood, amid reports that European leaders are considering visiting Donald Trump to discuss his plan, reports the PA news agency. The Russian defence ministry said on Saturday that its forces had captured two villages in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted energy facilities in Russia’s Samara region, killing two people in the southern city of Syzran, the region’s governor said on Saturday.