(Geneva/Brussels) U.S. and Ukrainian officials announced in Switzerland, following consultations on a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, that they have established an "updated and improved peace framework." The new framework modifies the 28-point peace plan previously drafted by the Trump administration, with Ukraine stating that the updated version is in its national interest.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials issued a joint statement on Sunday (November 23) after several rounds of talks in Geneva, announcing that their negotiating teams had drafted an updated and improved peace framework between Russia and Ukraine.
The statement said that substantial progress had been made in the discussions and that consultations would continue in the coming days. The statement also emphasized that "any future agreement must fully protect Ukraine's sovereignty and achieve a sustainable, just, and peaceful outcome."
The U.S. delegation included Secretary of State Rubio, Presidential Envoy Witkov, and Trump's son-in-law Kushner; the Ukrainian delegation was led by President Zelensky's chief of staff, Yermak.
Rubio believes an agreement is possible, but several issues remain to be discussed.
Rubio told reporters after the talks that substantial progress had been made in narrowing the areas of disagreement. "I can tell you all that the remaining points of disagreement are not insurmountable. I sincerely believe we can reach an agreement."
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The Trump administration's original 28-point peace plan was criticized for being significantly biased towards Russia, with key provisions including demands for Kyiv to cede territory and disarm, and a commitment to never join NATO.
The updated peace framework has not yet been released. However, the Ukrainian delegation stated that it "basically reflects Ukraine's core demands."
Rubio also said he believed Trump was "quite satisfied with the progress we reported."
Trump had earlier urged Zelensky to accept the US-driven 28-point peace plan before Thanksgiving this Thursday (April 27). Rubio hopes to reach an agreement before this deadline but also hinted that it might take longer.
He indicated that any final agreement must be approved by both presidents, and that some issues must continue to be negotiated before securing Moscow's support.
According to sources, US and Ukrainian officials are discussing Zelensky's trip to the US, which could take place as early as this week, to discuss the US peace plan with Trump, potentially focusing on the most sensitive territorial issues.
Earlier, Trump posted on social media complaining that the Ukrainian leadership was "unappreciative" of US efforts and accusing Europe of continuing to buy Russian oil. During the meeting in Switzerland, Yermak expressed his sincere gratitude to Trump for his commitment to Kyiv. Zelenskyy subsequently thanked Trump as well.
The UK, France, and Germany proposed a European solution, modifying the US framework point by point.
When drafting its peace plan, the US did not consult Ukraine's European allies. Following an emergency meeting of European leaders during the G20 summit, the UK, France, and Germany drafted a revised peace plan for the US-Ukraine Geneva negotiations, opposing proposals to limit the size of the Ukrainian army and territorial concessions.
The UK-France-German document suggested that the size of the Ukrainian army "in peacetime" should be capped at 800,000, rather than the uniform cap of 600,000 proposed by the US. The document also required that "territorial exchange negotiations begin at the line of contact," rather than the US proposal's pre-determined status of certain areas as "de facto Russian territory."
The document also demanded that the US provide Ukraine with security guarantees similar to Article 5 of NATO (a core principle of the North Atlantic Treaty). It further stipulated that Ukraine would receive comprehensive reconstruction and economic compensation, including compensation through Russian sovereign assets, which would be frozen until Moscow compensated Kyiv for its losses. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that any peace plan must fully reflect the central role of the European Union.
