The United States and Ukraine are refining Trump’s peace plan as the earlier proposal became controversial. The first draft of the proposal faced criticism for being favorable to Moscow. However, the United States and Ukraine announced a refined peace plan after holding talks in Geneva on Sunday.
Moreover, the White House said the Ukrainian delegation believed the new framework supported their national interests. Officials added that it addressed Ukraine’s core strategic requirements, although Kyiv did not release any direct statement. Analysts noted that many sensitive issues remained unresolved. Key concerns included long-term security guarantees for Ukraine against continuing Russian threats.
Intensive Work Continues Despite Uncertainty
The United States and Ukraine confirmed they would continue intensive work before the Thursday deadline. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio returned to Washington on Sunday night, raising questions about the timeline. US President Donald Trump continued to pressure Ukraine to accept a negotiated deal. On Sunday, he said Ukraine had shown zero gratitude for American efforts, prompting swift reassurance from Ukrainian officials.
Additionally, Trump previously set a Thursday deadline for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to accept the plan. Rubio later suggested the deadline might remain flexible. Sources said Zelenskiy could visit the United States this week to discuss the most sensitive elements of the proposal. Observers believed that direct talks could determine the plan’s final structure.
Controversial Terms Spark Opposition
The initial 28-point proposal asked Ukraine to surrender territory, limit its military and drop its NATO ambitions. Many Ukrainians viewed these conditions as unacceptable capitulation after years of devastating conflict. The proposal also surprised officials across the US government. Sources said it originated at an October meeting in Miami attended by envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Furthermore, European allies confirmed they were excluded from the proposal’s development. They issued a counter-plan on Sunday that eased territorial concessions and added a US-led security guarantee for Ukraine. Democratic lawmakers in Washington sharply criticized the original draft and called it a Russian wish list, while Rubio defended it as US-authored with wartime input.
War Continues to Impact Ukraine
The talks occurred as Russia made slow territorial gains in several regions. Meanwhile, Ukrainian power and gas networks suffered severe damage from repeated drone and missile attacks. Millions of civilians faced prolonged outages that disrupted water, heating and electricity supplies. Zelenskiy also confronted internal political pressure as a corruption scandal implicated some senior ministers.
Nevertheless, Kyiv gained confidence after the United States expanded restrictions on Russia’s oil sector. Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes further damaged Russian energy facilities, pressuring Moscow’s war financing.
