The gathering in South Africa comes as US President Donald Trump gives Ukraine until Thursday to agree to the deal.

The 28-point plan hammered out by US and Russian envoys and put to Ukraine this week came with a deadline and an implicit threat: Sign up or face the risk of being abandoned.

Earlier this year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged to build Europe’s strongest army – a tall order for a country whose military has undergone years of neglect.

French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at the G20, welcomed the US-proposed 28-point Ukraine peace plan as a useful starting point but underscored that any lasting settlement requires substantive ...