Canada joins world leaders saying Trump’s plan to end war in Ukraine needs ‘additional work’

Prime Minister Mark Carney, along with more than a dozen world leaders meeting in South Africa, issued a joint statement on Saturday saying U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Ukraine "will require additional work."

The leaders met on the edges of the G20 summit in Johannesburg to talk about Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that his country is facing “one of the most difficult moments in its history."

Zelenskyy is facing a deadline imposed by Trump to take or leave his plan to end the war — that's viewed as favouring Russia — by Nov. 27.

"We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force," the leaders' joint statement said. "We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine's armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack."

Trump’s 28-point plan calls on Kyiv to cede territory, accept limits on the size of its military, and renounce ambitions to join NATO — all long-standing Kremlin demands. The plan also contains some proposals Russia may dislike, including pulling back its military from some areas it's captured in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy delivered a video address to the nation on Friday saying Trump’s latest move is putting “intense” pressure on his country.

“Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner, or 28 difficult points or an extremely harsh winter,” Zelenskyy said.

Canada, the European Council and the European Commission, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Finland, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands and Ireland were all at the meeting.

Trump says peace plan not his final offer

Trump is boycotting the G20 this year and didn't send any American representation for talks because of issues he has with South Africa.

Carney posted online that parts of Trump's plan work and that along with international partners, he will "co-ordinate closely with Ukraine and the U.S. over the coming days."

"The initial draft of the 28-point plan on Ukraine includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace," Carney posted on social media platform X.

The U.S. president said his current proposal for peace in Ukraine is not his final offer. "The war needs to end one way or another," he told reporters on Saturday.

Global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw, who is attending the G20, told Canadian media that Trump's current plan to end the war is a "disaster for Ukraine"

"If any Ukrainian leader were to sign up for even a part of this so-called plan, it would be the end of Ukraine as we know it. Game over for a sovereign Ukraine," said Bociurkiw, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council.

Carney is also holding bilateral meetings with the leaders of France, Norway, the European Union, Germany and the U.K. on Saturday, according to a senior Canadian official.

All of these countries are part of the Coalition of the Willing — a group of more than 30 nations that have promised to strengthen support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Carney met one on one with French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed working with allies to reach “just and lasting peace in Ukraine," the Prime Minister's Office said.

“The Prime Minister and President reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine and underscored that any settlement must include Ukraine’s involvement, respect Ukraine’s core interests, and provide security guarantees,” the office said in a statement.

The G20's host, South Africa, is not allowing foreign media to film bilateral meetings between world leaders. That meant Canadian media’s video cameras were not permitted to capture footage of those talks, which is rare at these kinds of international summits.

WATCH | Why is Trump’s new peace plan pressuring Ukraine:

Why is Trump’s new peace plan pressuring Ukraine?

November 21|

Duration2:05

The U.S. is pressuring Ukraine to accept a 28-point peace deal with Russia, but what exactly is in the proposal and why has it come about now? CBC’s Briar Stewart explains.

Trump says Ukraine will 'have to like' plan

On Friday, Trump said he's confident his plan is a way of getting peace and suggested Zelenskyy could take it or leave it.

“He’ll have to like it. And if he doesn’t like it, then they should just keep fighting, I guess,” Trump told journalists in the Oval Office.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told a security council briefing that the U.S proposal could “form the basis of a final peace settlement”. He said he was in a position to “show the flexibility” that he agreed on at an August meeting with Trump in Alaska.

But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a founding leader, of the Coalition of the Willing, said that Moscow hasn’t been following through with its promises.

“Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but their actions never live up to their words,” Starmer wrote in a statement ahead of the G20's working sessions that started Saturday.

Starmer said Russia is the only country around the G20 table that is not calling for a ceasefire and “is deploying a barrage of drones and missiles to destroy livelihoods and murder innocent civilians.”

Russia has hit Ukraine with 1,000 drones and more than 50 guided missiles injuring citizens, Starmer's statement said.

Leaders at the G20 adopted a declaration addressing the climate crisis and other global challenges on Saturday. A White House official called it "shameful" the declaration was drafted without U.S. input.