EU leaders meet in South Africa to counter US Ukraine peace plan

European leaders are meeting in South Africa to discuss alternatives to a US plan that Ukraine and Europe fear favours Russia. As Kyiv rejects territorial concessions, EU leaders reaffirm support, while Ukraine continues drone strikes and Russia reports widespread air-defence activity

Kyiv: European leaders were set to meet in South Africa on Saturday to hash out alternatives to a US plan to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine, seen as favouring Moscow, nearly four years after it invaded its neighbour.

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

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European countries see 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.

The planned talks were announced by top European Union officials, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa, after their call with Zelenskyy on Friday.

Earlier that day, von der Leyen said a key principle for Kyiv’s European allies was “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”.

The US 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.

Elsewhere, 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 that 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 defences overnight shot down 69 Ukrainian drones over Russia and occupied Crimea, including 15 flying over Samara province, according to the Defence 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.