Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 21, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleEU leaders, led by von der Leyen, will discuss a US peace plan for Ukraine with Zelenskiy at the G20 summit, emphasizing Ukraine's involvement.
By Julia Payne
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -European Union leaders and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will reach out to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to discuss a U.S. peace plan on Ukraine during the current G20 summit, von der Leyen said on Friday.
"We will discuss the situation both with European leaders and with leaders here on the sidelines of the G20. I will also reach out to President Zelenskiy to discuss the matter," she told reporters.
Von der Leyen said a key principle European leaders had always upheld was "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine."
The United States and Russia are negotiating a 28-point roadmap to end the war in Ukraine but Brussels has not been included in the negotiations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday, after talks with a top U.S. Army official, that he was ready for "constructive, honest and prompt work" with Washington.
According to the U.S.-backed plan, seen by Reuters, Kyiv would be required to give up the entire Donbas region - part of which Kyiv's forces control - and significantly downsize its military, conditions long seen by Ukraine's allies as tantamount to capitulation.
(Reporting by Julia Payne and Inti Landauro; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Jon Boyle)
The G20 summit is an annual meeting of leaders from 19 countries and the European Union, focusing on global economic issues, international financial stability, and sustainable development.
The Donbas region is an area in eastern Ukraine that includes the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, known for its industrial output and has been a focal point of conflict in the Ukraine crisis.
Military downsizing refers to the process of reducing the size and capabilities of a country's armed forces, often involving cuts to personnel, equipment, and budgets.
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