U.S. Officials Tackle Controversial Ukraine Peace Plan

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff hurriedly worked on Sunday to refine the White House’s contentious 28-point peace proposal for Ukraine, which had been criticized across party lines as merely a “wish list” for Russia.

As a crucial meeting loomed in Geneva, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European partners voiced significant concerns over the plan, as it would require Ukraine to concede substantial territory.

During discussions in Geneva, Rubio, Witkoff, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Jared Kushner, and other U.S. officials met with a Ukrainian delegation. Reports indicated the talks were at times tense, ultimately leading to the U.S. agreeing to reevaluate its strategy.

“I’m not going to speculate,” Rubio told reporters. “I feel very optimistic that we can accomplish something here.”

He noted, “Clearly, the Russians are getting the votes.”

Amid confusion regarding the plan’s origins, reports surfaced suggesting the Trump administration had warned Ukraine that aid could be cut if they did not agree to the proposal.

In a bid to quell these worries, Rubio reached out to a bipartisan group of senators attending the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada on Saturday. Senator Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), who received the call, shared that Rubio reassured them, saying, “This is not our recommendation, this is not our peace plan.”

Senator Angus King of Maine, who was also part of the call, mentioned Rubio’s characterization of the proposal as a “Russian wish list.” However, Rubio and the State Department quickly countered, asserting that the plan was “created by the United States.”

Rubio elaborated, saying it included input from both Russia and ongoing contributions from Ukraine.

Reports indicated that Rubio denied claims that the Trump administration was threatening to withhold aid to Ukraine if the deal was dismissed, stating he was unaware of such discussions.

President Trump publicly expressed hopes that Ukraine would accept the deal by Thanksgiving.

During Sunday’s discussions, the Ukrainian side countered with 28 amendments to the original plan, and the Americans showed willingness to consider some of these adjustments.

Despite friendly exchanges with the press, behind closed doors, U.S. officials accused Ukrainian representatives of leaking important details about the peace initiative to the media, likely to provoke a domestic backlash.

A former senior U.S. official indicated that they suspect Russia might be responsible for the leaks.

Initially, President Zelenskiy described the plan as a “hard choice between losing dignity and freedom and losing American support.” Yet, he later expressed appreciation for U.S. efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict that has plagued Ukraine for nearly four years.

In a post on X, he stated, “Ukraine is grateful to the United States, to the hearts of all Americans, and to President Trump personally,” shortly after Trump criticized Ukraine for showing “zero gratitude.”

Zelenskiy emphasized that a legitimate peace agreement must address Ukraine’s needs without rewarding Russia for its aggression.

The draft of the peace plan, which had been leaked, called for significant concessions from Ukraine, including the potential surrender of the entire Donbas region, which has faced conflict for over a decade.

Critics feared that abandoning parts of Donbas could leave Ukraine exposed to further Russian advances and weaken its defenses.

Just last month, Trump had preferred to maintain existing battle lines, but Russia made it clear that this approach would not work.

According to the plan, Ukraine would also have to commit to not joining NATO, reduce its military personnel from approximately 900,000 to 600,000, and grant amnesty to all involved in the conflict, effectively shielding Russians from war crimes charges.

In contrast, the plan only required minimal concessions from Russia, like assurances against future invasions and some security guarantees for Ukraine.

However, these promises fell short of NATO Article 5, which provides collective defense for member states, leaving little protection if Russia were to invade again.

The proposal faced immediate backlash from both Democrats and some Republicans supportive of Ukraine.

“President Vladimir Putin has never kept the promises he made regarding Ukraine. Never has, never will, and he has no intention of starting now,” stated Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania), head of the Ukraine Congressional Caucus.

He added, “Any agreement that requires some element of trust in President Vladimir Putin’s ‘promises’ is not worth the paper it is written on.”

European leaders also raised concerns about the plan, and a leaked EU peace proposal seemingly served as a direct rebuttal, emphasizing Ukraine’s NATO membership and preserving current front lines.