U.S.-Ukraine initial agreement to work on “revised” peace plan

The United States and Ukraine were due to continue working on a plan to end the war with Russia today (Monday) after agreeing to modify an earlier proposal widely seen as too “favorable” by Moscow, ISNA reported.

The two sides said in a joint statement that they had drafted a “revised peace framework” after talks in Geneva on Sunday, although they did not provide details.

The silence of Kiev

The White House said separately that the Ukrainian delegation had told them the plan “reflects their national interests” and “addresses their core strategic imperatives,” although Kiev did not release a statement.

It is unclear how the updated plan will address a range of issues, including how to ensure Ukraine’s security against ongoing Russian threats, Reuters reports.

The United States and Ukraine said they would continue “intensive work” ahead of Thursday’s deadline, although U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the U.S. delegation during the talks, flew to Washington late Sunday. US President Donald Trump has continued to pressure Ukraine to reach an agreement. On Sunday, he said Ukraine had shown “no appreciation” for America’s efforts during the war, prompting Ukrainian officials to emphasize their gratitude for Trump’s support.

The Trump administration announced in a statement: “This meeting ended with a common understanding that today was an important step forward and that close and continuous coordination will be necessary for the parties to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace.” “The Ukrainian delegation confirmed that all their main concerns – security guarantees, long-term economic development, infrastructure protection, freedom of navigation and political sovereignty – were fully addressed during the meeting.”

“Ukrainian representatives stated that, based on the amendments and explanations provided today, they believe that the current draft reflects their national interests and provides credible and workable mechanisms to protect Ukraine’s security in the short and long term,” the Trump administration said in a statement. They emphasized that an enhanced security assurance architecture, together with commitments to non-aggression, energy stability and reconstruction, would meaningfully address their core strategic needs.”

“Updated and Revised Peace Framework”

“They (US and Ukrainian representatives) reiterated that any future agreement must fully support Ukrainian sovereignty and achieve a lasting and just peace,” the statement said. As a result of these negotiations, the parties formulated an updated and revised peace framework. “Both sides welcomed the steady progress made and agreed to continue consultations as the agreements progress toward final modification.”

Trump had previously set Thursday as a deadline for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept the peace plan, but Rubio said Sunday that that deadline may not be definitive.

Informed sources have also previously said that Zelensky may travel to the United States in the coming days to discuss the most sensitive aspects of the plan with Trump. However, Bloomberg reported that the US is not very keen on the trilateral meeting.

An initial 28-point proposal presented by the United States last week calls for Ukraine to make territorial concessions, accept limits on its military and abandon its ambitions to join NATO.

For many Ukrainians, this would mean surrender after nearly four years of fighting in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. The initial plan came as a surprise to U.S. officials across the administration, with two sources saying it was developed in an October meeting in Miami attended by special envoy Steve Wittkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s envoy under U.S. sanctions.

European countries offer a counter offer

Democratic lawmakers have criticized it as essentially a list of Russian demands, but Rubio insists that Washington drafted the plan with input from both sides in the war.

European allies said they were not involved in drafting the original plan and released a counter-proposal on Sunday that reduces some of the proposed territorial concessions and includes a NATO-style security guarantee from the United States to Ukraine if it is attacked.

However, the US Secretary of State emphasized to reporters on Sunday that he has not received a counter plan from the European side.

These talks are being held while Russia has slowly advanced in some areas. Zelensky has also been under pressure at home, as a major corruption scandal has embroiled some of his ministers and fueled renewed anger at widespread corruption. This has complicated the country’s efforts to secure funds to keep its economy afloat.

Vance is the “driving force” of US diplomacy on Ukraine

Meanwhile, CBS anchor Margaret Brennan quoted a European diplomat and another anonymous source as saying that “J. D. Vance, the vice president of the United States, is the driving force of American diplomacy in the conflict in Ukraine.

Brennan wrote on Platform X: “According to a European diplomat and a well-informed source, J. D. Vice President Vance is the driving force behind Ukraine’s diplomacy. “Dan Driscoll, the US Secretary of the Army and his close friend, has become a key intermediary.”

Rubio is unaware of any counteroffers from the Europeans

Meanwhile, in a press conference, the US Secretary of State said in response to the question of what will happen after the negotiations with the representatives of Europe and Ukraine in Geneva: “We will continue our work.”

“We assured them that there are things that directly involve Europe and NATO, or things that we’ve kind of agreed to put as part of a separate track because it involves their input,” Rubio said at a press conference after the Geneva talks on Ukraine with representatives from Europe and Kiev. We have all kinds of people at technical levels who are working on this full time and are involved with this all the time. In fact, even though we’ve gotten up from the table and we’ve now separated and left the table, there are a handful of technical items that we expect to hear from in the next 24 hours. So, it’s an ongoing process.”

Rubio said: “I did not see a plan to deal with the war (from the European side). “I have not seen any countermeasures.”

The US Secretary of State emphasized in Geneva that Washington considers its peace plan to be an essential document in this process.

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