Britain, France and Germany have drafted a detailed counter-proposal to the United States’ 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, adjusting key provisions on security guarantees, territorial arrangements and the use of frozen Russian assets, according to a text seen by Reuters.
The document, prepared by the so-called E3 group for talks in Geneva, follows days of consultations with Ukrainian officials and comes after President Donald Trump set Kyiv a one-week deadline to accept the original US plan, which calls for Ukraine to cede territory, cap its armed forces and renounce its goal of joining NATO.
Security guarantees and NATO provisions
The European text opens by reaffirming Ukraine’s sovereignty and proposes a comprehensive non-aggression agreement involving Russia, Ukraine and NATO, aimed at settling outstanding security disputes of the past three decades. It envisages a post-agreement dialogue between Russia and NATO to address “all security concerns” and create what it describes as a de-escalatory environment.
One of the most significant amendments is the removal of a US draft clause that linked the peace deal to a halt in NATO enlargement. Instead, the counter-proposal states that Ukrainian NATO membership will depend on the consensus of existing allies, “which does not exist” at present – a formulation that keeps the door open while avoiding any formal bar written into the settlement.
The E3 would accept a peacetime cap on Ukraine’s armed forces but raise the ceiling to 800,000 personnel, compared with the 600,000 figure in the US draft. NATO, for its part, would agree not to permanently station alliance troops in Ukraine in peacetime. The text also envisages a bilateral US security guarantee “mirroring” NATO’s Article 5, subject to strict conditions: Ukraine would forfeit the guarantee if it attacked Russian territory, while any renewed Russian invasion would trigger a coordinated military response and the automatic re-imposition of global sanctions.
Alongside this, a joint security taskforce including the United States, Ukraine, Russia and European states would oversee and enforce the agreement, and Russia would be expected to legislate a formal non-aggression policy towards both Ukraine and Europe.
Reconstruction, frozen assets and Russia’s economic reintegration
On economic issues, the European paper proposes that Ukraine be treated as eligible for European Union membership, with preferential short-term access to EU markets while that process is under evaluation. A “robust global redevelopment package” would include a Ukraine Development Fund focused on high-growth sectors such as technology and data centres, a US-Ukraine partnership to restore and operate gas transit and storage infrastructure, large-scale urban reconstruction and infrastructure development backed by a World Bank financing scheme.
The text diverges sharply from the US draft on the use of frozen Russian state assets. Whereas the American version envisaged directing part of roughly $200 billion of immobilised funds into a US-led reconstruction and joint US-Russia investment vehicles, the E3 propose that Russian sovereign assets remain frozen until Moscow fully compensates Ukraine for war damage. Only once that condition is met would any broader sanctions relief be phased in.
At the same time, the European proposal sketches a pathway for Russia to be progressively reintegrated into the global economy, including a long-term US-Russia economic co-operation agreement in areas such as energy, infrastructure, artificial intelligence and Arctic projects, and eventual readmission to the G8, provided the overall settlement is implemented.
Nuclear issues, Zaporizhzhia and domestic reforms
On strategic arms, Washington and Moscow would commit to extending nuclear non-proliferation and control treaties listed in the document, while Ukraine would confirm its status as a non-nuclear state under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently under Russian control, would be restarted under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision, with the electricity produced shared equally between Russia and Ukraine.
Domestically, Ukraine would undertake to align with EU standards on religious tolerance and the protection of linguistic minorities, echoing themes already present in its EU accession process.
Territory and the line of contact
Territorial provisions remain one of the most sensitive elements. The European draft states that Ukraine will not seek to recover its occupied sovereign territory by military means and that negotiations on territorial swaps will begin from the current line of contact. Once any future territorial arrangements are agreed, both Russia and Ukraine would pledge not to alter them by force; any security guarantees would lapse in the event of a breach.
This marks a departure from the earlier US draft, which referred to certain regions – including Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk – as de facto Russian, and envisaged a demilitarised buffer zone in eastern Ukraine.
Humanitarian measures, elections and enforcement
The counter-proposal includes extensive humanitarian measures. A dedicated committee would handle outstanding issues such as a comprehensive exchange of prisoners and remains on an “all for all” basis, the return of civilian detainees and children taken across the frontline, family reunification schemes and support mechanisms for victims of the conflict. Ukraine would commit to holding national elections as soon as possible after the peace agreement enters into force.
The agreement would be legally binding and monitored by a “Board of Peace”, chaired by President Trump, with penalties for violations. A ceasefire would take effect once all sides accept the memorandum, with both parties withdrawing to agreed positions and implementation overseen under US supervision.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the original 28-point proposal as an American-authored framework “based on input from the Russian side” and from Ukraine, and has said changes are already being made following the Geneva discussions. European leaders have indicated that further work will be required before any final package can be presented to Kyiv, Moscow and the wider G7, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeated that any settlement must safeguard the country’s sovereignty and core interests.
