Germany Opposes US Peace Plan for Ukraine Territory concessions

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and other European officials have voiced strong opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed Ukraine peace plan, warning that accepting the terms would amount to Ukrainian capitulation. The reported U.S. proposal includes Ukraine ceding significant territory—including Crimea and other Russian-occupied regions—and abandoning NATO aspirations, while offering little new benefit compared to what could have been negotiated a year earlier. European leaders argue that such sweeping concessions would legitimize Russia’s territorial gains and undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly rejected surrendering land as a precondition for a ceasefire, insisting that territorial questions should only be addressed after hostilities end. The plan has also been criticized for proposing a minerals deal that would benefit the U.S. economically and for excluding robust security guarantees from the U.S., instead suggesting a European-led coalition. Amid ongoing talks, both Russian and U.S. officials have described negotiations as productive, but European leaders remain wary of the plan’s implications for Ukraine and broader regional security.