KYIV: European leaders were set to meet in South Africa on Saturday to hash out alternatives to a US plan to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine seen as favoring Moscow, nearly four years after it invaded its neighbor. The 28-point blueprint to end the Kremlin’s aggression sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying Friday that his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs.

EU leaders have struck a defiant tone as reports indicate that a US-brokered peace deal would defer to Russian demands.

As fighting rages and Russia seizes settlements, a US-Russia constructed plan looks set to upset Kyiv and its EU allies.