US and Ukraine work on ‘revised’ peace plan, hail progress in talks despite allied doubts
Ukraine and the United States are set to conduct “intensive work” Monday after both sides hailed progress in high-stakes talks on the new plan to end Russia’s war that Washington pressed Kiev to agree by Thanksgiving.
The meetings in Geneva resulted in an “updated and revised peace framework,” Ukraine and the United States said in a joint statement describing the “tangible progress” achieved by the “very productive” talks.
No specific details were revealed, while European leaders warned that “key issues” remain, as Kiev and its allies sought to bypass the US deadline to accept a 28-point proposal that they see as the Kremlin handing over its main demands.
Moscow continued to say on Monday that it had been excluded from the discussions, and it was not clear whether any counterproposals from Ukraine would be acceptable to Russia.
“Is it really possible that significant progress will be made in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine?? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good might happen,” President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social early Monday.
Speaking via video at a summit in Sweden, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev was working with partners “to look for compromises that strengthen us, but do not weaken us.”
He warned on Friday that his country may be facing its most difficult week yet, as it faces a choice between its “dignity” and a “major partner.”
Trump raised further tensions as the talks were held in Switzerland, accusing Kiev of expressing “lack of gratitude” to the United States for its support throughout the conflict.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that a “tremendous amount of progress” had been made after the talks with the Ukrainians.
“Ukraine is grateful to the United States, to every American heart, and to President Trump personally,” said Zelensky, trying to balance appeasing Trump with ensuring his country’s sovereignty while under fire at home over a corruption scandal.
In a separate statement, Zelensky said there were “signs that President Trump’s team is listening to us.”
Asked about pressuring Ukraine to at least agree to a framework by Thanksgiving, Rubio said the United States wanted to “get that done” as soon as possible. He added: “Obviously we would like it to be Thursday.”
But despite signs of progress, Europe remained cautious while America’s traditional allies were quick to react to the sudden emergence of an agreement that could define the continent’s security.
“The negotiations were a step forward, but there are still major issues to be resolved,” the Finnish president said. Alexander Staub said in a post on X.
European Union leaders are scheduled to meet to discuss the issue at a summit already being held in Angola on Monday, while a counter-proposal from major European powers is circulating in the media.
The Trump-backed plan amounts to a virtual surrender of Ukraine, ceding key territory to Russia while reducing its military in exchange for no major concessions from Moscow.
Zelensky said on Monday that Vladimir Putin wants legal recognition for what he “stole,” referring to the plan’s provision for the entire eastern Donbas region as well as Crimea, which he annexed in 2014, to be effectively recognized as Russian. He added: “Breaking the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty, and this is the main problem.”
US allies and lawmakers have raised questions about who might be behind the plan and the extent of consultation with Ukraine.
Rubio insisted on Sunday that the plan was authored by the United States after a bipartisan group of senators said the secretary told them the text being discussed was a Russian initiative presented to special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Moscow has confirmed that it has not formally participated in the talks, although Putin said last week that the plan could be used “as a basis for a final peace settlement.”
However, it is unclear whether the Kremlin will agree to any amendments that may be necessary to get Ukraine and Europe to sign up.
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that he had not been updated on the progress of talks between Ukraine and the United States. “We have, of course, closely followed the media reports that have flowed in over the past few days, including from Geneva. But we have not received anything official yet,” he said.
He added that there are no plans to hold a meeting between the Russian and American delegations this week.