Europe is facing renewed pressure to assert itself in diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to meet US negotiators in Moscow. European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius told Euronews that the situation underscores the need for the EU to develop its own peace plan instead of relying on American-led initiatives.

Kubilius stressed that Europeans must overcome a habitual dependence on Washington's proposals and craft their own strategy to engage in meaningful negotiations. "It would be very good for us to have our own plan and then compare it with the American plan to see what is good, what we want to discuss," he said. The commissioner added that the continent is gradually moving toward greater independence, both in defence capabilities and in geopolitical influence.

The US delegation, led by President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, is scheduled to meet Putin to continue discussions aimed at ending the conflict. Their visit follows the leak of a peace plan reportedly favoring Russia, which proposed Ukraine cede the Donbas region, limit its military, and abandon NATO ambitions. The leak sparked immediate diplomatic activity in Europe, prompting discussions among the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" and an updated US-Ukraine framework developed in Geneva over the weekend, which now serves as the basis for the talks.

The episode highlights Europe's ongoing struggle to secure a substantive role in negotiations, despite being the largest provider of financial and military aid to Ukraine and committing to the bulk of security guarantees should a peace deal be reached. French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that any agreement must include European participation and that discussions on security guarantees would continue.

Kubilius noted that while the US initiative is welcome, Europeans must ensure any peace deal is just and sustainable. He warned that a poorly constructed agreement could destabilize the region and pose future risks to Europe, citing intelligence assessments that Russia could challenge NATO's Article 5 in the coming years.

Alongside military and diplomatic concerns, Kubilius supported a proposal to use nearly ?200 billion of frozen Russian Central Bank assets to fund a European reparations loan for Ukraine over the next two years. The initiative is currently blocked by Belgium, which holds most of the assets and seeks more equitable sharing of potential risks from Moscow's retaliation. Kubilius argued that the financial support could strengthen Ukraine and signal to Putin that aggression will not succeed.

EU leaders are expected to finalize their position on the reparations loan and the broader European approach to the peace process at a meeting scheduled for 18 December.