Ukraine peace plan: Europe sidelined in new 28-point proposal

WISE NEWS PRESS / BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — Nov. 25, 2025

European leaders are maneuvering to regain influence over Ukraine peace negotiations after a leaked US-Russia plan threatened to bypass the bloc on critical security and economic issues.

The proposed 28-point agreement has sparked alarm across European capitals, as its provisions regarding NATO membership, sanctions relief, and frozen assets could dismantle the continent's security architecture and strip the European Union of its leverage against Moscow.

NATO membership and security guarantees

At the center of the dispute is Ukraine's ambition to join the NATO alliance. While the EU views Article 5 as the ultimate deterrent against future aggression, the leaked draft reportedly contains a clause permanently excluding Ukraine from the alliance.

"Ukraine will enshrine in its constitution that it will not join NATO, and NATO will include a provision in its own statute that Ukraine will not be admitted in the future," the draft states.

European officials view this as granting Russia a de facto veto over NATO expansion. Consequently, EU nations are insisting that decisions regarding the alliance must remain solely within the remit of its members.

Economic sanctions and financial leverage

The European Union, which has implemented 19 sanctions packages against Moscow, fears losing control over the economic narrative. The proposed plan suggests lifting sanctions "gradually and on a case-by-case basis."

Since the EU maintains the most extensive sanctions regime among Western allies, Brussels is wary of dismantling these measures without concrete security guarantees. Officials are reportedly pushing for a mechanism that allows for the rapid "snap-back" of sanctions if Russia violates the terms of any agreement.

Dispute over frozen central bank assets

A major point of contention involves the approximately €210 billion in frozen Russian Central Bank assets immobilized within the EU. While Brussels intended to use these funds to finance Ukraine's reconstruction and military needs, the new US-Russia plan proposes a radical shift.

The draft suggests splitting these assets into two investment funds that would commercially benefit both the US and Russia. This proposal has been met with shock in Europe, with one official describing it as an "economic atrocity," given that the EU had positioned these assets as a tool to force Moscow to pay war reparations.

Global reintegration and EU path

The peace plan also envisions Russia's return to the G8, a move supported by US President Donald Trump but requiring the consent of European members including Germany, France, Italy, and the UK.

While the plan blocks NATO membership for Kyiv, it presents EU membership as a viable alternative. However, Brussels maintains that accession is merit-based and requires unanimity, a process currently stalled by political hurdles such as Hungary's veto.

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