EU says Ukraine, Europe must be on board for any peace plan to work

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

At least 26 people were killed and many were listed as missing in a Russian drone and missile attack overnight that hit apartment buildings in the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, Ukraine's interior minister said on Wednesday (November 19).

Reuters footage in the early hours of Thursday (November 20) showed the upper floors of a residential building in Ternopil torn away following the attack. Smoke poured upwards as fire crews tried to douse flames, as damaged belongings including children's toys were laid outside the building.

Ukraine's interior minister Ihor Klymenko said 26 people were still missing after the overnight strikes, including three children. He said nearly 100 people had been hurt.

(3409-UKRAINE-CRISIS/ATTACK-TERNOPIL)

TERNOPIL, UKRAINE (NOVEMBER 20, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) (NIGHT SHOTS)

1. CRANES IN FRONT OF DAMAGED BUILDING, SMOKE RISING

2. VARIOUS OF RESCUERS WORKING TO REMOVE RUBBLE

3. RESCUERS STANDING IN FRONT OF DAMAGED BUILDING

4. SMOKE RISING FROM BUILDING / CHILDREN’S ITEMS LAID OUT ON THE GROUND

5. VARIOUS OF CHILDREN’S TOYS AND SHOES LAID OUT ON THE GROUND

(3456-UKRAINE-CRISIS/ATTACK-TERNOPIL-DRONE)

TERNOPIL, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 20, 2025) (STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE - Must on-screen courtesy State Emergency Service of Ukraine) (MUTE)

6. DRONE SHOT OF SMOKE RISING FROM DAMAGED RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

As daylight broke, the extent of the damage became clearer as rescuers and emergency services worked to clear debris.

(3430-UKRAINE-CRISIS/ATTACK-TERNOPIL-MORNING)

TERNOPIL, UKRAINE (NOVEMBER 20, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

7. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL AT SCENE OF RUSSIAN STRIKE ON APARTMENT BUILDING / HEAVILY DAMAGED BUILDING IN BACKGROUND

8. HEAVILY DAMAGED BUILDING

9. EXCAVATOR DUMPING DEBRIS INTO TRUCK

10. EMERGENCY SHELTERS SET UP NEAR APARTMENT BUILDINGS

11. PEOPLE ENTERING AND EXITING EMERGENCY SHELTER

12. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL DIGGING THROUGH RUBBLE

13. DAMAGED WINDOWS

14. EXCAVATOR DUMPING DEBRIS INTO TRUCK

15. WOMAN CRYING

16. VARIOUS OF HEAVY MACHINERY REMOVING RUBBLE FROM DESTROYED APARTMENT BUILDING

Any plan to end the war in Ukraine will need the support of Ukrainians and Europeans to work, European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday (November 20).

Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the matter, that the U.S. had signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end the war that envisages Kyiv giving up territory and some weapons.

(3441-UKRAINE-CRISIS/EU-FOREIGN)

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NOVEMBER 20, 2025) (EUROPEAN UNION – Access all)

17. EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, KAJA KALLAS, WALKING TOWARDS REPORTERS

18. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, KAJA KALLAS, SAYING:

"What we as Europeans have always supported is a long-lasting and just peace, and we welcome any efforts to achieve that. Of course, for any plan to work, it needs Ukrainians and Europeans on board. So this is very clear."

19. FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-NOEL BARROT, WALKING TOWARDS JOURNALISTS

20. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-NOEL BARROT, SAYING:

"We want peace. Ukrainians want peace. We want a just peace that respects everyone's sovereignty and a lasting peace that cannot be threatened by future aggression. However, peace cannot mean capitulation. We do not want Ukraine to surrender. As you can imagine, the Ukrainians, who have heroically resisted Russia's uninhibited aggression for more than three years, will never accept any form of capitulation."

21. BARROT WALKING AWAY

Ukrainians in Kyiv on Thursday (November 20) dismissed a reported U.S. plan to end the war with Russia that would require Kyiv to give up territory and cut its armed forces.

Washington has signalled to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Kyiv must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end the nearly four-year-old war, sources told Reuters on Wednesday (November 19).

The sources, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the proposals included cutting the size of Ukraine's armed forces, among other things. Washington wants Kyiv to accept the main points, they said.

Some Kyiv residents said the proposed U.S. peace plan was unacceptable for Ukraine and would not be supported by society or the military, adding that Zelenskiy was unlikely to sign such an agreement.

(3475-UKRAINE-CRISIS/EU-FOREIGN-ROUNDTABLE)

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NOVEMBER 20, 2025) (EUROPEAN UNION - Access all)

22. EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, KAJA KALLAS GREETING SLOVENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, TANJA FAJON AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF CYPRUS, CONSTANTINOS KOMBOS

23. PHOTOGRAPHERS AT WORK

24. POLISH FOREIGN MINISTER RADOSLAW SIKORSKI, KALLAS, CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER JAN LIPAVSKY, AND CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GORDAN GRLIC RADMAN, SPEAKING

25. FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-NOEL BARROT GREETING SWEDISH FOREIGN MINISTER, MARIA MALMER STENERGARD

26. KALLAS TAKING HER SEAT AND RINGING THE BELL TO ANNOUNCE START OF MEETING

27. SIKORSKI SEATED IN MEETING ROOM

28. MEETING ROOM

Ukrainians in Kyiv dismissed a reported U.S. plan to end the war with Russia that would require Kyiv to give up territory and cut its armed forces.

Some Kyiv residents said the proposed U.S. peace plan was unacceptable for Ukraine and would not be supported by society or the military, adding that Zelenskiy was unlikely to sign such an agreement.

(3437-UKRAINE-CRISIS/DIPLOMACY-REAX)

KYIV, UKRAINE (NOVEMBER 20, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

29. UKRAINIAN AND EUROPEAN UNION (E.U.) FLAGS

30. MURAL DEPICTING UKRAINIAN SERVICEMAN

31. PEOPLE QUEUEING AT COFFEE SHOP

32. BARISTA PREPARING COFFEE

33. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) CIVIL SERVANT, OLHA PAKHOMOVA, 45 YEARS OLD, SAYING:

"I do not consider these conditions acceptable and I do not think that even if such an agreement is conditionally reached at the level of heads of state, that it will be accepted by the people, by the military and those who have already given and are giving a lot for this."

34. PEOPLE BOARDING TROLLEYBUS

35. BUS DRIVING

36. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) CIVIL SERVANT, OLEKSII DENYSENKO, 34 YEARS OLD, SAYING:

"I do not know if Zelenskiy will agree to such terms. I hope not. Of course, these conditions are not acceptable for Ukraine. I believe that Ukraine should return to the borders of 1991, at a minimum. Of course, we need to finish off the aggressor and pressure him, because I am sure that if we give them any concessions now, they will return in any way, as was the case in Chechnya."

37. SQUARE IN CENTRAL KYIV

The Kremlin said that any peace plan for Ukraine would have to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and that though there were contacts with the United States there were currently no negotiations with Washington on such a plan.

The U.S. has signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end the war with Russia that proposes Kyiv giving up territory and some weapons, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Axios, which first reported about the 28-point plan, said that Ukraine and Europe would receive a U.S. security guarantee in exchange for Kyiv ceding parts of eastern Ukraine to Russia that Moscow does not currently control.

(3511-UKRAINE-CRISIS/RUSSIA-KREMLIN)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 10, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

38. VARIOUS OF KREMLIN

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (FILE) (REUTERS - Access all)

39. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF KREMLIN SPOKESMAN DMITRY PESKOV

AUDIO ONLY: UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (NOVEMBER 20, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

40. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) KREMLIN SPOKESMAN, DMITRY PESKOV, SAYING (PLEASE NOTE SOUNDBITE OVERLAYS SHOT 40):

(ASKED DOES KREMLIN THINK IT IS GOOD TIME TO STRIKE PEACE DEAL ABOUT UKRAINE GIVEN RUSSIAN ADVANCES ON BATTLEFIELDS, CORRUPTION ROW IN KYIV, APPROACHING WINTER AND ENERGY SHORTAGES IN UKRAINE)

"Any time is the best for a peaceful settlement, for a settlement by peaceful political and diplomatic means. Russia remains open for this settlement. A settlement must lead to the elimination of the root causes of this conflict. This is what we say time and again.”

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 10, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

41. VIEW OF KREMLIN