Japan, Canada, Europe Concerned over U.S. Peace Plan for Ukraine

Brussels, Nov. 22 (Jiji Press)–Leaders of Japan, Canada and Europe issued a joint statement Saturday expressing their concerns over a U.S.-led draft new peace deal aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as it proposes downsizing Ukrainian forces. “We are concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack,” the statement said. “We will continue to coordinate closely with Ukraine and the U.S. over the coming days,” said the statement from the leaders including Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union. In talks with reporters at the White House on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump denied that the draft represents the final proposal from the United States. He left open the possibility of modifying the draft peace plan, saying that the United States is working to end the war in some way. According to German and other media, the European side has already sent their revised draft to the United States. Senior officials of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Ukraine are slated to discuss the peace plan in Geneva on Sunday. From the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, are expected to take part in the talks. The Japanese, Canadian and European leaders discussed the Ukrainian situation for about an hour on the sidelines of the two-day summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies that started in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday. Takaichi said it is important that countries concerned will unite to work on ending the Russian aggression early with the engagement of the United States. The U.S. draft is believed to comprise 28 items, also including a proposal for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia and a plan to set up a framework to support the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine. The statement from the Japanese, Canadian and European leaders praised the U.S. draft to a certain degree, saying that they welcome “the continued U.S. efforts to bring peace to Ukraine” and that the plan “includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace.” Still, they said the U.S. draft “will require additional work,” suggesting that they cannot accept the plan unless it is amended. The leaders also said, “We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force,” stressing their stance not to tolerate Russia expanding areas under its control. “We take this opportunity to underline the strength of our continued support to Ukraine,” the statement said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]