US and Ukrainian delegations achieved "tremendous progress" in Geneva talks on Sunday over a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, with Washington agreeing to amend its controversial proposal based on Kyiv's input.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the discussions as the most productive yet. «We've had probably the most productive and meaningful meeting so far in this entire process,» he told reporters. He added: «I feel very optimistic that we can get something done here, because we made a tremendous amount of progress.»
The breakthrough came despite President Donald Trump earlier accusing Ukraine of showing "zero gratitude" for American peace efforts. He posted on Truth Social: «Ukraine 'leadership' has expressed zero gratitude for our efforts and Europe continues to buy oil from Russia.»
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by expressing appreciation. He wrote on X that he is «grateful to the United States, to every American heart, and personally to President Trump for the assistance.» He noted there are «signals that Trump's team is hearing us.»
Competing proposals
The original US plan, a 28-point blueprint reportedly negotiated by US envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin representative Kirill Dmitriev, faced pushback from European allies. Critics said it favored Russian demands by proposing Ukraine cap its military at 600,000 troops, concede territory, and abandon NATO membership aspirations.
Britain, France and Germany drafted a counter-proposal offering terms more favorable to Ukraine. The European plan allows a larger military of up to 800,000 troops, does not ban Ukraine from joining NATO, and includes stronger security guarantees. It also proposes that frozen Russian assets could fund compensation to Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen laid out key principles earlier. «First, borders cannot be changed by force,» she stated. «Second, as a sovereign nation there cannot be limitations on Ukraine's armed forces that would leave the country vulnerable to future attack and thereby also undermining European security.»
Diplomatic pressure
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer held his second call with Trump in two days on Sunday. Downing Street said the leaders agreed that «we all must work together at this critical moment to bring about a just and lasting peace.»
Starmer had raised concerns about proposed caps on Ukraine's military, calling the issue "fundamental" because Ukraine must be able to defend itself after any ceasefire. Britain's national security adviser Jonathan Powell and his German and French counterparts attended the Geneva talks.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said allies need to «find a way to secure that ceasefire and open up space for meaningful negotiations.»
Zelensky emphasized the need for lasting peace. «It is important not to forget the main goal – to stop Russia's war and prevent it from ever igniting again. And to achieve that, peace must be dignified,» he wrote on X.
Rubio indicated talks would continue Monday, suggesting flexibility beyond Trump's previously mentioned Thursday deadline. The US State Department denied claims the plan was authored by Russia, with Rubio stating it was based on input from both Russian and Ukrainian sides.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
