Ukraine and U.S. Cite Progress in Talks on Ending War With Russia
Ukrainian and American officials said on Sunday that they were making meaningful progress in their discussions about a controversial United States plan aimed at ending the war with Russia. Their comments came even as President Trump attacked Ukraine publicly and accused its leaders of failing to show proper gratitude.
The president has given Ukraine until Thursday to agree to a twenty eight point peace plan. Many Ukrainians rejected an early version of the proposal because it appeared to give in to long standing demands from the Kremlin.
The latest talks began Sunday in Geneva and were described as an effort to find common ground. In a joint statement released afterward, both Ukraine and the United States said the meeting had achieved a great deal. According to the statement, both sides reaffirmed that any agreement must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and create a durable and fair peace. They also said they had drafted an updated version of the peace framework and would continue working intensely on shared proposals in the coming days.
Earlier, Senator Rubio said negotiators were going through the plan point by point and adjusting it, reducing disagreements and moving closer to something acceptable to both Kyiv and Washington. He said he was very optimistic that a deal could be reached in a reasonable time frame. Rubio also reminded reporters that Russia would ultimately have to agree to any final terms. He left Geneva later in the day to return to Washington.
Andriy Yermak, who leads Ukraine’s delegation, also spoke positively, describing the progress as very good and saying discussions would continue.
These reassuring remarks were notable because they came shortly after a long message from President Trump, in which he criticized both Ukraine and its European allies. He complained that Ukraine’s leaders had shown no appreciation for American efforts and claimed that Europe was still buying Russian oil. He also repeated his belief that the war would never have happened if Ukraine had stronger leadership.
This was not the first time the president had accused Ukraine of failing to show enough gratitude or blamed it for a conflict started by Russia. During a difficult Oval Office meeting in February, he told President Zelensky that Ukraine was not doing enough to thank the United States.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly tried to express their appreciation since then. On Sunday, not long after Trump’s remarks, Zelensky again thanked the United States and welcomed the constructive conversations in Geneva. He also restated that Russia alone started the war and has refused to end it. He added that American leadership remains essential and that Ukraine is doing everything it can to work responsibly with its partners.
European allies have also been trying to influence the peace proposal and show that they still stand with Ukraine. Some of them sent representatives to Geneva. Ukraine and the United States said in their joint statement that they would stay in close contact with European partners as the process unfolds.
A draft of the United States plan that appeared online last week included several points Ukraine has long considered unacceptable. These included giving up territory and dramatically reducing the size of its armed forces. On Saturday, leaders from Britain, France, Germany, and other countries released a joint message urging changes to the most problematic parts of the plan.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, echoed this on Sunday, insisting that a sovereign nation cannot accept limits on its armed forces that would leave it vulnerable to future aggression. She added that such restrictions would endanger European security as well.
The Kremlin offered no immediate response to the Geneva talks. A United States official said earlier that separate discussions between Washington and Moscow were being planned.
More diplomacy is expected soon. President Erdogan of Turkey said he planned to speak with President Putin on Monday about the peace efforts. President Macron of France said there would likely be a meeting involving leaders from Britain, Canada, and other countries on Tuesday.
Trump has asked Ukraine to respond to the plan by Thursday, but he has suggested that the deadline could be extended if progress continues.
A Western official briefed on the talks said that Ukrainian and American negotiators had already made several changes to the twenty eight point plan before meeting in Geneva. The working version now differs from the one posted online last week by a Ukrainian lawmaker, but confusion over the original proposal remains.
A group of United States senators said on Saturday that Senator Rubio told them the document was not produced by the administration but was instead a wish list from Moscow. The State Department called that claim completely false. Rubio also denied the senators’ account, saying the proposal was written by the United States. He described it as a strong framework for negotiations, shaped by input from both Russia and Ukraine.
