When Poland announced that an explosion damaged a railway track leading to Ukraine this week, Prime Minister Donald Tusk was quick to declare it was an unprecedented act of sabotage designed to cause catastrophe.

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.

U.S., Ukrainian and European officials are due to meet in Switzerland on Sunday for talks on the contentious American-Russian peace plan put to Kyiv this week.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz canceled his agenda Friday in order to hold an urgent call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other European leaders about a US-Russian plan to end the war in Ukraine that would mean sweeping concessions to Vladimir Putin.

European leaders, gathering at the G20 summit in Cape Town, have not been consulted on the US plan. But European influence is limited. With critical military systems Ukraine relies on, mainly made in the US, it’s US president Trump who holds the cards.

The European Union said the decision was prompted by sabotage attacks in Europe, but Russians living abroad say Europe is punishing ordinary people.

European gas prices have soared as tensions escalate between Russia and the West after Moscow ordered troops into two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

With Europe imposing sanctions on Moscow, there has been a growing network of vessels sailing without a valid flag from Russia through European waters.