Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that before working on the US-proposed peace plan to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, it is necessary to find out who is its author and where it was created.
“Together with the leaders of Europe, Canada and Japan, we have declared our readiness to work on the 28-point plan, despite some reservations. However, before we start our work, it would be good to know exactly who is the author of the plan and where it was created,” Tusk wrote on social network X on 23 November.
Before that, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied claims by Republican Senator Mike Rounds, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Angus King (independent) that the peace proposal for Ukraine released this week was not drafted by Washington but was a “wish list” of the Kremlin 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 network X.
The statements come as high-level delegations from the US, Ukraine, the European Union and Britain hold talks on US peace proposals in Geneva on 23 November.
Critics of the plan in the US and elsewhere believe it favours Russia. Representatives of the US administration reject this interpretation, saying that the plan is based on realities and provides for preserving Ukraine’s sovereignty and security guarantees for it.
European Union leaders said on the eve that they support US efforts to resolve Russia’s war with Ukraine, but believe that the plan presented by Washington needs to be finalised.
“We are ready to engage in 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.
On 22 November, US President Donald Trump said that his administration’s proposed peace plan for Ukraine was being worked out and “is 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 that Moscow had received a 28-point US plan on Ukraine, which he said “can be put on the basis of a final peace settlement”.