Johannesburg, 22 November 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Ukraine's Western backers have rejected the US plan to end Russia's war in its current form, saying after a crisis meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa that the draft is a "basis" for talks but needs "additional work."

"The initial draft of the 28-point plan includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace," a statement said after leaders met in Johannesburg.

"We believe therefore that the draft is a basis which will require additional work," the statement said of the plan, which would hand sweeping concessions to Russia.

"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."

The statement was signed by the leaders of Canada, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Spain, Britain, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, as well as top EU officials.

Washington's current draft proposal would require Kiev to cross several of its red lines: sharply reducing the size of its army to 600,000 personnel, ceding large swathes of territory and enshrining a ban on NATO membership in its constitution.

Specifically, it calls for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from the parts of the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk that they currently control.

Furthermore, Washington would be expected to recognize the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, as well as Donetsk and Luhansk, as de facto Russian territory.

MIA file photo