After the existence of the secret US 28-point peace plan was reported on November 19, the German Chancellor’s office feigned surprise and denied they knew anything about the proposal. However, senior officials in the Chancellor’s Office and intelligence agencies were briefed weeks earlier, The Berliner Zeitung reported on November 21.

The news has sparked criticism in Berlin and panic in the government. On the day the story broke, Merz cancelled appointments at short notice, and EU leaders held frantic crisis calls. Unease rippled across Europe over the apparent exclusion of the EU yet again from the high-level diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration to bring the war to a swift end.

Thorsten Frei, Chief of Staff to the German Chancellor, said on November 19 that Berlin was unaware of any negotiations between Russia and the US on ending the war in Ukraine.

He described comments by US special envoy Steve Witkoff as “quite disturbing,” telling RTL and ntv that the plan appeared to allow Russia to “achieve war aims that it hasn’t achieved on the battlefield.” CDU foreign policy spokesman Johann Wadephul added that the German government had not been “briefed” on the proposal.

“The facts tell a different story: The Berliner Zeitung has received consistent reports indicating that the Chancellor's Office was informed about the peace plan as early as November 4. The National Security Council is said to have discussed the draft on November 11. And Security circles advising the Chancellor and his staff on geopolitical matters are said to have been aware of it even as early as October 29,” the newspaper reports.

“German intelligence services were also familiar with the details, and the National Security Council discussed them on November 11. The draft was passed to the Chancellor's Office through secure channels, accompanied by signals that work was underway on a deal for a gradual resolution of the conflict, including Ukraine,” the paper added, based on its own contacts and research.

The October 29 date comes only a few days after the details of the deal were thrashed out at an informal meeting between US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Russia’s sovereign wealth fund manage Kirill Dmitriev in Miami.

The Berliner Zeitung’s requests for comment from the Chancellor’s Office and the Foreign Ministry remained unanswered.

The 28-point draft plan, reportedly endorsed by former US President Donald Trump, has sparked concern in European capitals. EU foreign policy chief and former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has been explicit saying any talks that don’t include the EU or Ukraine are unacceptable.

However, her uncompromising stance is undermining her authority in Brussels. In answer to the US 28-point plan, Kallas countered that the EU plan has only two points: weaken Russia and support Ukraine. There is growing criticism of this hardline approach and some of her EU colleagues have openly called her “incompetent” and “unqualified” for her role as Brussels foreign policy chief, Politico reported, due to her excessively hard line on Russia. Kallas has been accused of having a similarly maximalist position as Putin. This style of diplomacy—referred to in expert circles as Track 2 diplomacy—is primarily motivated by the concern that a continuation of the war would push both societies to the brink of self-destruction

According to Bloomberg and the The Financial Times, US officials are pushing for a rapid agreement by Thanksgiving on November 27 and with an end to the conflict by the New Year. Zelenskiy has said he is open to “honest work” with Western partners but insists any deal must guarantee a “dignified peace” and is reportedly working on a counter proposal in cooperation with Brussels, which is now funding the war.

Zelenskiy is scheduled to hold a conference call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on November 21 to discuss the plan. Panic has reportedly erupted in EU capitals last week when it became clear that the negotiations were proceeding without EU involvement.

Kallas has demanded the bloc be included in peace efforts, but Brussels has yet to propose its own initiative. Ukrainian officials have voiced frustration, accusing the EU of obstructing solutions that do not meet its own “unrealistic maximalist positions,” The Berliner Zeitung reports.

According to Axios, Ukraine was also involved in drawing up the US plan. Zelenskiy’s gave his national security adviser Rustem Umerov the authority to hold informal talks with Witkoff, while in the US recently, where his family lives, before returning to Ukraine. As a result many of Ukraine’s positions were included in the draft, The Berliner Zeitung reports. A senior Qatari official was also reportedly involved in the discussions.

When quizzed by journalists, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that Europe must play a role. One of the points in the plan is to set up a new post-Cold War pan-European security deal that Moscow first proposed in 2008. “Of course, the constructive participation of Western Europeans in this process is essential,” Peskov said. “Only then will we see results.”

Russia actually sought out German participation specifically, citing Berlin’s post-war historical responsibility and its centrality in European security affairs, The Berliner Zeitung reports. But Germany has become an obstacle, not a boon for the Russians. Merz is increasingly seen as going in the “wrong direction,” so the Kremlin switched its attention to the UK.

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is seen as a possible candidate for brokering an agreement between Europe and Russia. He retains a very strong international network and some reports suggest he may even be considered for a Nobel Peace Prize next year in connection with is work on a Gaza peace deal.

Now Merz’s role is in the limelight and critics warn that by failing to assert itself early, Germany risks being sidelined in a process with far-reaching implications for Europe’s future security architecture.