European leaders have made a dramatic counter-offer to Donald Trump's Ukraine peace plan, proposing that Vladimir Putin be welcomed back into the G8 and Russia progressively reintegrated into the global economy.
The alternative proposal emerged from an emergency summit in Geneva on Sunday, with Britain, Germany and France - the E3 powers - crafting a plan that offers Moscow significant concessions while also protecting some of Ukraine's key interests.
Russia was expelled from the G8 in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea, but the European proposal suggests readmitting Mr Putin to the exclusive group of nations as part of a comprehensive peace deal.
The counter-proposal represents a significant shift in diplomatic strategy, coming after President Trump's original 28-point plan faced widespread criticism for being too favourable to Moscow.
The European plan sets Ukraine's military cap at 800,000 troops in peacetime, higher than the 600,000 limit in the proposal from the US.
This also represents a massive increase from the 85,000 Russia demanded during the Istanbul negotiations in 2022.
Crucially, the European counter-offer removes President Trump's requirement that Ukraine cede the eastern Donbas region to Russia.
Instead, it states that "negotiations on territorial swaps will start from the line of contact" - meaning talks would begin from current front lines rather than forcing Ukraine to surrender unconquered territory.
European leaders have agreed that Vladimir Putin be welcomed back into the G8 and Russia progressively reintegrated into the global economy
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The original American plan demanded Ukrainian forces withdraw from parts of Donetsk they currently control, creating a demilitarised buffer zone recognised as Russian territory.
The European proposal scraps this provision entirely, requiring only that Ukraine commit not to recover occupied territory through military means.
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, responded positively to the European initiative during Sunday's Geneva talks.
He told reporters: "I think this is a very, very meaningful, I would say probably best meeting and day we've had so far in this entire process, going back to when we first came to office in January."
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US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said that it was the 'best meeting and day we've had so far in this entire process'
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The American diplomat confirmed that the US was now "making some changes" to its original peace plan following the European counter-proposal.
However, he cautioned that President Trump still needs to sign off on any revised deal, as does Russia, which has repeatedly shifted its demands throughout the conflict.
The breakthrough came after intense negotiations at the emergency summit, with European leaders working to reshape the American proposal into something more balanced.
The European counter-proposal emerged after Mr Trump accused Ukraine of showing "zero gratitude" for American efforts to end the war.
Writing on Truth Social, the US President complained that Europe continues buying Russian oil whilst America sells weapons to Nato for Ukraine distribution.
The positive talks come just hours after Donald Trump took to social media claiming Ukraine had shown the US 'zero gratitude'
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Mr Trump's original 28-point plan had faced fierce criticism for heavily favouring Russia.
Some Republicans called it a "wish list" for President Putin, whilst Meaghan Mobbs, daughter of former US special envoy Keith Kellogg, suggested the document was originally written in Russian due to transliteration errors and Russian government phrasing.
US officials strongly denied these allegations, with Mr Rubio insisting the proposal was authored by the US based on input from both Russian and Ukrainian sides.
The backlash forced the US President to back-track and admit it is "not my final offer," despite having previously insisted that Volodymyr Zelensky "is going to have to approve it" or face losing significant territory to Russia "in a short amount of time".
The European plan keeps Russian sovereign assets frozen until Moscow pays compensation for damage caused since its full-scale invasion.
Sir Keir Starmer, along with Germany and France, led the European counter-proposal
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It also requires Ukraine to hold elections "as soon as possible" after signing any peace agreement - a key Moscow demand that could see Mr Zelensky removed from power.
The counter-proposal includes security guarantees for Ukraine, similar to Nato's Article 5 clause, offering Washington's protection without formal alliance membership.
It also removes President Trump's controversial provision that would have given the US 50 per cent of future profits from frozen Russian assets invested in Ukraine.
Sir Keir Starmer spoke with the US President on Sunday, agreeing that Ukraine faces a "critical moment".
The leaders discussed the Geneva negotiations, with both committing to work together for "a just and lasting peace".
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