European leaders and other allies told the US that its peace plan for Ukraine needed “additional work”, in a rushed bid to try and slow walk a Trump administration determined to give concessions to Russia and impose terms by Thanksgiving.

They issued a statement at a Group of 20 summit in South Africa that US President Donald Trump blew off but where many of them were headed to when the controversial details of the 28-point peace plan were leaked. The US set an ultimatum for Thursday.

In Johannesburg, the panicked leaders sought to buy President Volodymyr Zelensky time and scrambled to get on a call, exchange notes and come up with a counterproposal that would not alienate an impatient US.

Their challenge was to find the right formulation of words in response to a plan that offers hard-to-swallow land concessions to Russia, caps the size of the Ukrainian army, stops it from ever joining the Nato military alliance and saddles the European Union with the cost of reconstruction.

In short, it appeared like everything Russia would want in a gruelling war of attrition entering its fourth winter. A senior European military official said there is a real chance the group fails to convince Trump to change his stance.

“The draft is a basis which will require additional work,” according to a statement that started off with some muted praise for the plan as a basis with some important elements. “We will continue to coordinate closely with Ukraine and the US over the coming days.”