A spokesperson for the United States and Ukraine say they have made progress developing a peace plan that aims to end Russia’s war in Ukraine after the two sides described it as “highly productive” talks in Geneva. The meeting is taking place after the former US Trump is President Donald Trump continues to push his agenda forward, while also criticizing Ukraine’s leaders for what he described as an indifference to gratitude.
According to a joint declaration issued following the talks on Sunday negotiators from both sides have now come up with an updated version of the peace plan, which includes certain of Ukraine’s concerns and suggestions. Trump has apparently set an October 27 deadline before this year’s US Thanksgiving holiday for Kyiv to take action.
“The discussions were productive, focused and friendly, and highlighted a common determination to pursue an equitable and sustainable peaceful resolution,” the statement said.
What’s new in the updated proposal?
The original draft of 28 points that was presented last week provoked some criticism from Kyiv mostly because it demanded Ukraine to cede territories, reduce its military and vow against joining NATO. A lot of Ukrainians saw these as an agreement with Moscow after four years of intense war.
According to reports, the plan was conceived in the midst of an informal meeting in Miami which included US special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Russian representative Kirill Dmitriev who is currently under US sanctions.
In this scenario, Ukraine would withdraw its forces from the areas of Donbas that are still in Ukrainian control. The region would become an unofficial buffer zone that is recognized globally in the world as Russian territory. The agreement also stipulated the recognition of Russia’s sovereignty of Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk and remaining other frontlines like Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in place.
Ukraine’s counterproposal
Ukraine with the backing of European partners is pushing back against any territorial concessions. In the words of Bloomberg, Kyiv insists negotiations regarding borders will only be able to begin when full military operations cease within the lines of contact currently in place.
Their new response seeks to:
- The formal US security guarantee, similar as the NATO Article 5 collective defence pact
- The application of frozen Russian state funds to build Ukraine
- A gradual removal of sanctions against Russia only in the event that Moscow respects the agreed-upon conditions
Kyiv’s proposal rejects the demands to surrender any territory Russia has not yet successfully captured.
Under the counter-framework under the counter framework, it is expected that the United States would be compensated by providing security guarantees for the long term as well as Russian assets would be in limbo unless Moscow is willing to pay war-related damages.
US reaction
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the involvement of Russian involvement in shaping the parts of the original draft but he claimed the document was written entirely in the US. In his remarks prior to Geneva talks, Geneva negotiations, Rubio acknowledged that the document was already evolving from the first draft.
Following the Sunday’s meeting, Rubio described the progress as “tremendous.” Ukraine’s top negotiator Andriy Yermak also shared the opinion, saying that the talks were moving forward “very efficiently.”
Whether the refined plan will move forward still depends on Ukraine’s formal response and Russia’s willingness to engage. For now, both sides appear cautiously optimistic, but significant disagreements remain unresolved.
For verified updates and deeper analysis on this developing peace deal, follow Wolf999 News.
