The 28-point US peace plan for Ukraine has many flaws, with some points “totally unacceptable for Ukraine”, says Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Støre spoke to Daily Maverick at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg after participating in two meetings on Ukraine on the margins of the summit. Concerns about Trump’s Ukraine peace efforts have been a major distraction for several countries participating in the summit.
Trump’s plan is controversial because it demands that Ukraine agree to withdraw its troops from eastern areas of its territory that Russia has been unable to take by force, and to limit the size of its armed forces.
One of the meetings was also attended by EU leaders, as well as leaders of EU member states who were present in Johannesburg, plus Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk joined the meeting remotely.
The other was held by leaders of the Nordic countries present.
Peace efforts welcome, but…
The leaders of the first group – of EU and other leaders – welcomed the US peace efforts and said it “includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace”.
However, they said the plan was a draft which would 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.”
Russian ‘war of aggression’
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-1000211982.jpg "President Trump And President Putin Hold A Joint Press Conference After Summit")
Støre was more forthright in his interview with Daily Maverick.
“Let’s start with the reality here. This is a war of aggression where Ukraine has been attacked by a huge army that has been devastating part of Eastern Ukraine, which is attacking civil infrastructure, houses, electricity every night at an enormous cost for the people of Ukraine, instability in Europe, refugee crisis throughout Europe.
“Norway, a country of five million people… we have 100,000 Ukrainians … in Norway. So this is where this started.
“And this war has to stop because of the devastation for people, for stability … and far beyond Europe … are huge. It’s important for me to explain this when I am with friends in Africa because it is at a distance. But it has huge implications.
“So for this to stop will require very complex diplomatic work. It’s easy to say that it could stop tomorrow if Russia stops its aggression and we get back to square one. We are not there in reality.
Complexities
“So for this to stop, it will need the engagement of the US. I was critical of the Biden administration for not engaging earlier, and I would give President Trump credit for at least engaging. It will require [the] participation of course of Ukraine, of Europe and of Russia. So that in itself is a very hefty mix, a combination of participants and complexity.
“So point one, the US engaging, it is good. But the plan they put forward has many flaws. I think we agree that there are points among the 28 which are totally unacceptable for Ukraine. Ukrainians will have to talk about that. They are also unacceptable for Europe.
“Just one example, the plan proposes for the US to mediate between Russia and Nato about unsettled issues. Well, the US is part of Nato and we cannot see that being handled over the heads of Europeans.
“So what is the choice ahead of us? Well, the choice is to say, [the] US engaging, that is good. Talking to Zelensky, talking to his negotiators, they clearly see that they need the US in the equation.
“But Europe needs to be at the table and the US has accepted that and tonight in Geneva there will be a meeting with US, European and Ukrainian negotiators and we are working as a united Europe to go through each of these 28 points and see where we need amendments.”
Støre also questioned the wisdom and fairness of Ukraine being forced to make concessions to a US scenario even before the next round of talks with Russia.
‘No deal without Ukraine’
The second core principle was “no deal about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
Støre said the Ukrainians did not want to lose US support. “At the same time, they cannot accept many of the flawed demands, and they cannot accept the time pressure because some of these issues are complex,” Støre said.
“My last point is there is a difference between an agreement that will end the conflict and an agreement that will secure peace. Because again, this is not about securing an arrangement for the next few months or couple of years.
“It has to be lasting. So, for example, the Trump plan talks about an agreement on non-aggression. It sounds fine, but that has been done before in European history.
“There was a Nazi-German-Soviet non-aggression pact that lasted for a short while before it broke up in open war. So we basically have many key principles in international law that secure the basic principles of a peace deal. Sovereignty of nations, unacceptable to change borders by force.
“So you would come a long way by simply applying and respecting international law as it stands. And here I think we have work to do with the Americans because many proposals from this administration seem to leapfrog international law and come up with what I would call commercial perspectives on how you deal with relations between states.”
G20 Leaders’ Declaration
Asked if he was satisfied with the references to Ukraine in the G20 Leaders’ Declaration from the Johannesburg summit, Støre said the declaration contained “acceptable language on the key principle of international law”, though he added that, “ The G20 is not a decision-making forum.”
/file/attachments/2984/IMG_20251120_190056_219174.jpg "President Ramaphosa welcomes EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to the G20 summit in Johannesburg. (Photo: Siyabulela Duda / GCIS)")
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement from Johannesburg that Ukraine had been at the heart of many discussions over the past days.
She said a Ukraine peace plan should include three basic principles:
- Borders cannot be changed by force;
- There cannot be limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces that would leave the country vulnerable to future attack and thereby also undermining European security; and
- The centrality of the European Union in securing peace for Ukraine must be fully reflected.
“Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny,” Van der Leyen said. DM