Ukraine's Future: A Global Chess Game Unfolds

European leaders are not happy with a recent US peace proposal for Ukraine. They think it's too favorable to Russia and are planning to change it. This is happening ahead of a big meeting in Geneva. In South Africa, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that wars can't be ended by big countries making deals without involving the countries affected. He believes there's still a lot of work to do for a good outcome. France, Germany, and the UK leaders met to talk about supporting Ukraine and changing parts of the peace plan. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country has a tough choice: accept the plan and lose dignity and freedom, or reject it and lose US support. The US plan, created by special envoy Steve Witkoff, includes Ukraine giving up the Donbas region, not joining NATO, and reducing its military. President Trump gave Zelensky a Thanksgiving deadline to accept the deal. Trump said the plan isn't his final offer but warned that his patience is running out. If Zelensky rejects it, Trump said he can keep fighting. But the plan has faced criticism in the US too. Sen. Mitch McConnell said rewarding Russian aggression would be bad for America's interests. Sen. Lindsey Graham said the plan has good and bad parts. Ukrainian officials, along with representatives from France, Germany, and the UK, will meet with a US delegation in Geneva. They hope to negotiate a better end to the war, which has been going on for nearly four years. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the US plan doesn't go far enough for Russia. He indicated Russia is open to peace talks but is also happy to continue fighting. The Kremlin is reportedly preparing to reject the plan.