Senior delegations from the United States, Ukraine, the European Union and the United Kingdom are expected to hold talks in Geneva on 23 November on the US peace proposals revealed this week, which Kiev’s allies say are tilted in Russia’s favour.
The Ukrainian delegation is led by the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, and also includes, among others, the chairman of the National Security and Defence Council, Rustem Umerov, and the head of military intelligence, Kirill Budanov.
The US delegation reportedly includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, who visited Kiev the other day. The EU Council and the European Commission will be represented by top advisers to their leaders.
EU leaders said on the eve that they support U.S. efforts to resolve Russia’s war with Ukraine, but believe the 28-point plan presented by Washington, which has not yet been officially publicised although key elements have already been published in the media, needs to be finalised.
“We are ready to enter this process to ensure the sustainability of the future world. We clearly adhere to the principle that borders cannot be changed by force,” the document published on the European Commission’s website said.
According to The Washington Post, among the proposals prepared by the EU leaders are the rejection of the US plan to limit the size of the Ukrainian army, the return to Ukraine of control over the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and the Kinburn Spit, as well as the refusal to transfer to Russia the part of Donetsk Region controlled by Ukraine before the ceasefire and to discuss this and other territorial issues only after the ceasefire is established.
On 22 November, US President Donald Trump said that his administration’s proposed peace plan for Ukraine was being worked on and was “not a final option”.
Before that, Trump said next Thursday, 27 November, was the deadline for Kiev to accept a US-backed peace proposal to end the war Russia is waging against Ukraine.
According to Reuters, Donald Trump’s administration has threatened to cut off intelligence and arms sales to Ukraine if Kiev does not sign the proposed US-backed peace deal.
Radio Liberty has a draft text of the US peace plan. Among other things, the draft envisages recognising Crimea, Donetschina and Luhansk region as de facto Russian, while Kherson and Zaporizhia would be “frozen” on the line of contact. In addition, the proposal envisages holding elections in Ukraine 100 days after the signing of the agreement. The plan also stipulates that Ukraine must enshrine non-alignment and rejection of NATO in its constitution (and the alliance must also declare this), and the size of Ukraine’s armed forces will be limited – by how much is not specified. But according to other media reports, there is talk of limiting it to 600,000 military personnel.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received a copy of the plan and said he was ready to work with the US on it. His office noted that Kiev and Washington agreed to “work on the points of the plan in a way that will lead to a dignified end to the war.”
Russia has said it is ready for peace talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had received a 28-point U.S. plan on Ukraine, which he said “can be the basis for a final peace settlement.”
The USA plan has been criticised among influential Republican members of Trump’s party, including releasing a joint statement with Democrats calling for changes to the proposals.
“We will not achieve lasting peace by offering Putin concession after concession and fatally degrading Ukraine’s ability to defend itself,” said the statement, signed by three Democrats, one Republican and one independent senator.
“History teaches us that Putin understands only force and will not abide by any agreement unless it is backed by force,” the statement added.
Veteran Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, a former Senate leader, wrote on X that “the reward for the carnage in Russia would be catastrophic to America’s interests.” Putin “spent the entire year trying to make a fool of President Trump,” McConnell added.
Republican Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was “very sceptical” that the plan would lead to peace. “Ukraine should not be forced to give up its land to one of the biggest war criminals in the world, Vladimir Putin,” he said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied claims by Republican Senator Mike Rounds, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Angus King (independent) that the 28-point peace proposal for Ukraine released this week was not drafted by Washington but was a Kremlin “wish list” handed down by the Russians.
“The peace proposal was developed by the United States. It is offered as a solid basis for the current negotiations. It is based on the proposals of the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and current Ukrainian proposals,” Rubio wrote on social media X