Putin invited again into G8 by Euro leaders if he ‘ends battle with Ukraine’
Europe has stunned the world by offering to invite Russia President Vladimir Putin back into the G8 as part of a peace deal to end the Ukraine war. This comes as a dramatic counter-proposal to the US- Russia plan that would also see Russia gradually be re-integrated into the global economy.
Russia, booted out of the G8 in 2017 after annexing Crimea in 2014, has now been invited back by European leaders during negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland. The invitation represents just one of several shock concessions in a dramatic new peace proposal to end the Ukraine war, echoing the leaked US-Russia deal.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The US-Russia deal is a proposed peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, reportedly created with input from both the US and Russia. Under this plan, Ukraine would have to give up some of its territory to Russia, limit the size of its army, and agree never to join NATO.
In return, Ukraine would get some security guarantees, and Russia would be gradually welcomed back into the global community, including a possible return to the G8 group of nations.
The deal has been criticised for being too favourable to Russia and for not properly including Ukraine or European countries in the discussions. Nevertheless, this deal is not final or officially agreed.
(Image: AP)
Consequently, the new European plan, which British officials helped draft, states that Russia will be “progressively re-integrated into the global economy”, the Telegraph reported.
“I think this is a very, very meaningful, I would say, probably best meeting and day we’ve had so far in this entire process, going back to when we first came to office in January,” Marco Rubio, the US secretary for state, told reporters.
European leaders at the Geneva peace talks reportedly agreed Ukraine’s army should be capped at 800,000 troops. This agreement pushes back against Trump’s plan to slash it to just 600,000.
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Even with the new limit, Kyiv’s forces would still rank among the world’s biggest, and it’s a massive jump from the 85,000 Russia wanted back in 2022.
Even with the new limit, Kyiv’s forces would still rank among the world’s biggest, and it’s a massive jump from the 85,000 Russia wanted back in 2022. This follows Trump’s dig after arguing Ukraine showed “zero gratitude” over his efforts to end the war.
Trump took to social media to blast President Volodymyr Zelensky and accuse Europe of still buying Russian oil, despite the ongoing conflict. In response, Zelensky insisted he is “personally grateful” to Trump and thanked the US for its support, especially for sending weapons that have helped save Ukrainian lives.
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