Watch: Trump says the US peace plan is not his last offer to Ukrainian President Zelensky

Ukraine’s Western allies rallied across the war-torn country on Saturday as they sought to review a US peace plan seen as siding with Moscow despite its sweeping invasion of its neighbour. President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged that Ukrainians would “always defend” their homeland.

Watch President Donald Trump’s remarks in the video player above.

A Ukrainian delegation, supported by representatives from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, is preparing to hold direct talks with Washington in Switzerland on Sunday.

The 28-point plan drawn up by the United States to end the nearly four-year-old war has sparked concern in Kiev and European capitals, where Zelensky said his country may face a stark choice between defending its sovereign rights and maintaining the American support it needs.

He watches: With new US deal, Trump says Zelensky ‘will have to accept something’

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, President Donald Trump said the US proposal was not his “final offer.”

“I would like to make peace,” Trump said. “It should have happened a long time ago. The Ukraine war with Russia should never have happened.” “One way or another, we have to get this over with.”

The American plan provides for Ukraine to hand over territory to Russia, something Kiev has repeatedly ruled out, while reducing the size of its army and blocking its path to NATO membership. It contains many of Moscow’s long-standing demands, while offering limited security guarantees to Kiev.

On Saturday, the leaders of the European Union, Canada and Japan issued a joint statement in which they welcomed US peace efforts, but retreated from the basic principles of the plan.

“We are ready to engage in order to ensure the sustainability of peace in the future. We are clear on the principle that borders cannot be changed by force. We are also concerned about the proposed restrictions on the Ukrainian armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack,” the statement said. She added that any decisions related to NATO and the European Union would require the approval of member states.

The leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom met during the day on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, to discuss ways to support Kiev, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters at the summit that “wars cannot be ended by major powers over the heads of the affected countries,” and insisted that Kiev needed strong guarantees.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that the US peace plan for Ukraine “requires broader consultations” because it “stipulates many things that concern the Europeans,” such as frozen Russian assets and Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Macron said that security issues in Europe must also be taken into account, adding: “We want a strong and lasting peace.”

Merz and Macron said envoys from Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the European Union will join Ukrainian negotiators as they meet with a US delegation in Geneva on Sunday to discuss Washington’s proposal. Zelensky confirmed the meeting on Saturday, after Trump set a deadline for Kiev to respond to the plan by next Thursday.

European leaders have long warned against rushing to a peace agreement, as they see their future at stake in Ukraine’s battle to defeat Russia, and insist on being consulted in peace efforts.

‘Quite far from a good result’

Kyiv’s main allies in Europe reiterated their reservations about the Kremlin’s willingness to end the war.

“Russia repeatedly pretends to be serious about peace, but its actions never live up to its words,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters ahead of the G20 summit, days after more than two dozen civilians were killed in a Russian raid in western Ukraine. Starmer later added that his national security adviser would be among Western envoys in Geneva.

He watches: Zelensky is facing pressure from Trump to accept his peace plan for Ukraine

European leaders have long accused Russia of obstructing diplomatic efforts in the hope of overpowering the much smaller Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. Kiev has repeatedly accepted US ceasefire proposals this year, while Moscow has stuck to more favorable terms.

“An end to the war can only be achieved with the unconditional consent of Ukraine,” Merz said during a press conference at the G20 summit, adding that he told Trump in a long phone call on Friday that Europe needed to be part of any peace process, and that Russia had previously failed to fulfill its promises to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

“In my view, there is currently an opportunity to end this war,” Merz added. “But we are still a long way from achieving a good outcome for everyone.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the basic principle of Kiev’s European allies is “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

Zelensky is defiant as Ukraine remembers Soviet-era famine

In a video address released on Saturday, Zelensky said Ukrainian representatives at the Geneva talks “know how to protect Ukrainian national interests and what exactly is needed to prevent Russia from carrying out” another invasion. He added: “True peace is always based on security and justice.”

Nine officials are scheduled to participate in the talks, including Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Ermak and chief envoy Rustam Omerov, according to a statement posted on the Ukrainian presidency’s website, which also said negotiators were authorized to deal directly with Russia.

On Saturday, Ukraine commemorated the “Great Famine” imposed by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in the early 1930s, which led to the deaths of millions.

“We all know how and why millions of our people died, starved to death, and millions were never born,” Zelensky said in a post on the Telegram app on the occasion of Holodomor Remembrance Day. “We are once again defending ourselves against Russia, which has not changed and is bringing death again.”

He added: “We have defended, defend, and will always defend Ukraine. Because only here is our homeland. And in our homeland, Russia will definitely not be the master.”