Geneva talks on Ukraine underway as Europe pushes back on US-proposed plan to end Russia's war
Delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and its European allies began to arrive in Geneva on Sunday for further discussions on the conflict in Ukraine following US President Donald Trump's 28-point peace plan that calls on Ukraine to give up some of its land and reduce the size of its military forces.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff are leading the United States delegation meeting with Ukraine's senior government officials, including Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelenskiy's office, and Rustem Umerov, the national security secretary.
The European Union, with senior officials, Bjoern Seibert, and Pedro Lourtie, head of cabinet of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, participating respectively in the talks.
National security advisers from the group of countries known as the E3 —France, the United Kingdom, and Germany—are also attending the Geneva negotiations.
The meeting comes as a widely leaked 28-point US-backed peace plan, which the White House says is the result of a month of work between Rubio and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, "along with input from both Ukrainians and Russians," draws widespread criticism across European capitals.
Trump says he wants Ukraine to accept the plan by late next week, causing Zelenskyy to warn that his nation is facing "one of the most difficult moments in our history."
On Saturday, the EU, alongside Ukraine's allies, resisted the US proposal, saying they considered it a draft and a basis for 'additional work.'
According to an EU statement, "The initial draft of the 28-point plan includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace."
"We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force", the EU statement added.
With his new 28-point plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, the US is resurfacing its argument that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doesn’t “have the cards” to continue on the battlefield and must come to a settlement that heavily tilts in Moscow’s favour.
Trump said Friday of Zelenskyy, “He’s going to have to approve it,” though he was more reconciliatory on Saturday, saying, “I would like to get to peace,” and that this was not his final offer.
“We’re trying to get it ended. One way or the other, we have to get it ended,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on Saturday.
Hours later, senators critical of Trump’s approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war said they spoke with Secretary Rubio, who told them that the peace plan Trump is pushing Kyiv to accept is actually a “wish list” of the Russians and not the actual proposal offering Washington’s positions, a claim Rubio and the White House later dismissed.
According to Rubio, "the peace proposal was authored by the US." "It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations,” Rubio posted on X. “It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine,” Rubio wrote.
While fierce battle rages in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces are attempting to seize further land in Zaporizhia and Donetsk, part of the eastern Donbas region, the difficult diplomatic attempts spearheaded by the US are coming under scrutiny and widespread criticism.
On Sunday, in one of Kyiv's largest attacks to date on a power plant deep within Russia, Ukraine used drones to attack a heat and power plant in the Moscow region, starting a large fire and cutting off heating for thousands.
Russia has continued its deadly barrage of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, attacking Ukraine's heat and electrical infrastructure in the fourth year of the bloodiest European conflict since World War Two, while Kyiv has so far largely concentrated on attempting to destroy Russia's pipelines, oil refineries, and crude terminals.
Additional sources • AP
