European leaders to meet in South Africa to counter US plan on Russia’s war. Kyiv prepares for talks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — European leaders are set to meet in South Africa on Saturday to hash out alternatives to a U.S. plan to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine seen as favoring Moscow, while a top Ukrainian delegation prepares for direct talks with Washington.

The 28-point blueprint to end the Kremlin’s aggression sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Friday that his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs.

The U.S. plan foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia, something Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out, while reducing the size of its army and blocking its coveted path to NATO membership. It contains many of Moscow’s long-standing demands, while offering limited security guarantees to Kyiv.

Ukrainian envoys will meet a U.S. delegation in Switzerland to discuss the proposal, a top official said Saturday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants Kyiv to respond by next week.

But European leaders warned against rushing a peace deal, seeing their own future at stake in Ukraine’s fight to beat back Russia, and have insisted on being consulted in peace efforts. On Saturday, they prepared to meet on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a show of support to Kyiv.

High-ranking Ukrainian officials to lead talks

A Ukrainian delegation will soon head to Switzerland to discuss the proposal with U.S. representatives, according to Rustem Umerov, a former defense minister who led Ukrainian negotiators in past failed talks with Russia.

“These days in Switzerland, we are starting consultations between high-ranking officials of Ukraine and the USA regarding possible parameters of a future peace agreement. Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests,” Umerov wrote Saturday on Telegram.

Nine officials are to take part in the talks, including Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andrii Yermak and Umerov, according to a statement posted on the Ukrainian presidency’s website, which also stated that the negotiators are empowered to deal directly with Russia.

Kyiv’s allies insist on ‘just and lasting’ peace

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

“Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but their actions never live up to their words,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters ahead of the G20 summit, days after a Russian strike on western Ukraine killed over two dozen civilians.

European leaders have long accused Russia of stalling diplomatic efforts in the hope of overwhelming Ukraine’s much smaller forces on the battlefield. Kyiv has repeatedly accepted U.S. ceasefire proposals this year, while Moscow has held out for more favorable terms.

Starmer added that the Europeans want to work closely with Washington and Kyiv to secure “a just and lasting peace.”

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Friday that a key principle for Kyiv’s European allies was “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” Von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa were the first to announce the planned talks in Johannesburg, following their call with Zelenskyy earlier that day.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also warned against rushing a peace agreement.

Speaking on Friday night on German television, Wadephul said lasting peace can only be achieved if Kyiv preserves its sovereignty, and if new security guarantees are in place “for Ukraine and all of us.”

Zelenskyy defiant as Ukraine remembers Soviet-era famine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy struck a defiant note on Saturday as the country commemorated the “great famine” that Soviet leader Josef Stalin imposed on Ukraine in the early 1930s, which led to millions of deaths.

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

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

Drones hit Russian refinery

A nighttime Ukrainian drone strike hit a fuel refinery in southern Russia, killing two people and injuring two more, a local official said. The attack on the Samara region in the latest of Kyiv’s long-range strikes against Russian oil infrastructure, which it says fuels the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev did not immediately name the site that was targeted or detail any damage. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Russian air defenses overnight shot down 69 Ukrainian drones over Russia and occupied Crimea, including 15 flying over the province of Samara, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow. The nighttime strikes forced at least five Russian airports to temporarily halt or restrict operations, and cut off power to some 3,000 households in the southern city of Rylsk, according to Russian officials.

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