The United States and Ukraine are set to continue work on a plan to end the war with Russia after agreeing to modify an earlier proposal that was widely seen as too favorable to Moscow.
The two sides said in a joint statement they had drafted a “refined peace framework” after talks in Geneva yesterday, although they did not provide specifics.
The White House separately said the Ukrainian delegation had told them it “reflects their national interests” and “addresses their core strategic requirements,” although Kyiv did not issue a statement of its own.
It was not clear how the updated plan would handle a host of issues, including how to guarantee Ukraine’s security against ongoing threats from Russia.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio led a US delegation which met Ukrainian and European officials in Geneva
The United States and Ukraine said they would continue “intensive work” ahead of a Thursday deadline, although US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the American delegation during the talks, was flying back to Washington late yesterday.
US President Donald Trump has kept up the pressure on Ukraine to reach a deal. Yesterday, he said Ukraine had shown “zero gratitude” for American efforts over the war, prompting Ukrainian officials to emphasise their thanks for Mr Trump’s support.
Mr Trump previously set a Thursday deadline for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept a peace plan, but Mr Rubio said yesterday that deadline might not be set in stone.
Mr Zelensky could travel to the United States as soon as this week to discuss the most sensitive aspects of the plan with Mr Trump, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The US delegation face the Ukrainian delegation in Geneva
The initial 28-point proposal put forth by the United States last week called on Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military and abandon its ambitions to join NATO.
Those terms would amount to capitulation for many Ukrainians after nearly four years of fighting in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
The original plan came as a surprise to US officials across the administration, and two sources said on Saturday it was crafted at an October meeting in Miami that included special envoy Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian envoy who is under US sanctions.
Democratic politicians have criticised it as essentially a Russian wish list, but Rubio has insisted that Washington authored the plan with input from both sides in the war.
European allies said they were not involved in crafting the original plan, and they released a counter-proposal yesterday that would ease some of the proposed territorial concessions and include a NATO-style security guarantee from the United States for Ukraine if it is attacked.
Read more: Explained: What is Trump’s 28-point Ukraine plan?
The talks come as Russia has slowly gained ground in some regions, while Ukraine’s power and gas facilities have been pummeled by drone and missile attacks, leaving millions of people without water, heating and power for hours each day.
Mr Zelensky has also been under pressure at home, as a major corruption scandal has ensnared some of his ministers, stirring fresh anger at pervasive graft.
That has complicated the country’s efforts to secure funding to keep its economy afloat.
Kyiv had taken heart in recent weeks after the United States tightened sanctions on Russia’s oil sector, the main source of funding for the war, while its own long-range drone and missile strikes have caused considerable damage to the industry.