Peace researcher Nicole Deitelhoff emphasizes that there is no agreement among European societies about what exactly should be demanded from both sides.
November 21, 2025 | 26:16 min
The US has drawn up a 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine, possibly with Russia’s support. Does this proposal have a chance of success? Europeans were not involved in the development of the paper and were surprised by it.
Political scientist Nicole Deitelhoff spoke about the latest developments in an interview with ZDFheute live. Watch the entire conversation in the video above or read an excerpt here.
Here’s what Nicole Deitelhoff had to say about…
… Russia’s negotiating position
Deitelhoff believes that Russia sees itself “in a position of strength.” They are making progress on the front lines and Ukraine is also weakened by the corruption scandal that hit President Zelensky’s entourage. The US plan “has a direct impact on Putin,” in his assessment. This is a “neo-colonial plan” in which two major powers annex a country and its resources.
“There are always benefits for the US,” said ZDF correspondent Heike Slansky.
November 21, 2025 | 4:19 min
First, Russia must prove that it is complying with the agreement. This usually happens in small aspects and not in comprehensive peace plans, “where there are so many opportunities and possibilities to violate them,” the political scientist said.
For them, “the only sensible way” to reach a strong agreement is to start with one point, see if both parties stick to it, and go from there.
Putin chooses his words carefully. By attributing the proposal solely to Trump, he opened the diplomatic door for Kiev. This is how Ukraine negotiates, says Moscow correspondent Armin Coerper.
November 21, 2025 | 4:02 min
…possible European influence and European peace plans
The plan cannot work if all NATO countries and European partners do not agree, said Nicole Deitelhoff. “It wouldn’t work without them, because a lot of the regulations actually require their approval.”
The US “peace plan” for Ukraine includes, among other things, surrendering territory. “This is of course bitter for Ukraine,” said ZDF correspondent Heike Slansky.
November 21, 2025 | 2:41 min
The US “peace plan”, for example, states that NATO is not allowed to admit Ukraine or any other country. The EU, in turn, must agree to accept Ukraine and invest 100 billion dollars in the country’s reconstruction.
Therefore, Europe still has a role.
Nicole Deitelhoff, political scientist
The political scientist estimates that the solution “falls somewhere in the middle and probably leans more towards the US than Europe”.
European countries will not be able to ignore this because they cannot appear strong enough. But what is currently contained in these 28 points would not be possible without them.
Nicole Deitelhoff, political scientist
The problem with the European peace plan is that EU member states do not agree on what conditions they want to set. They dare not “demand painful concessions from Ukraine.”
It is clear that Russia bears a moral and political responsibility, but to achieve peace, both sides must reach out to each other, otherwise peace in such a situation is almost impossible to achieve. And sadly it must be said that the Europeans have not covered themselves in glory.
Nicole Deitelhoff, political scientist
Ukraine is expected to approve the US’s so-called “peace plan” on Thursday. Otherwise, Zelensky could lose Trump as an ally in the war against Russia.
November 21, 2025 | 3:46 min
… about China’s role
Beijing expressed general approval of “serious diplomatic efforts,” said Nicole Deitelhoff, referring to a report from Al Jazeera. China may be particularly restrained when discussing specific points of the US “peace plan.” “You just have to say that this fits the pattern that we know from China over the last three and a half years.”
China welcomes diplomatic initiatives, but does not want to go too far, does not really want to commit to taking part in them, and has always been very secretive when it comes to the substance of these initiatives.
Nicole Deitelhoff, political scientist
According to Deitelhoff, China has “no interest” in ending the war in Ukraine. Beijing is “quite happy” with Ukraine limiting American and European resources.
At the same time, they are changing their position in the world order and considering how they want to proceed on the Taiwan issue.
Interview conducted by Christopher Wehrmann.
You can find the latest reports on Russia’s attack on Ukraine at any time on our live blog:
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