High-stakes diplomatic negotiations unfolded today at the U.S. Mission in Geneva, where top officials from the United States, Ukraine, and key European allies convened to scrutinize Washington’s controversial 28-point draft peace plan aimed at halting Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine. With President Donald Trump imposing a Thanksgiving deadline—November 27—for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to approve the proposal, the talks underscore mounting pressure on Kyiv to concede territory, military capabilities, and NATO aspirations in exchange for vague security guarantees.
Key Figures and Agenda
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Geneva this morning to lead the American delegation, joining U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, who had prepositioned for preliminary discussions. Ukraine’s team, headed by Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, confirmed participation and held initial huddles with national security advisers from the “E3” alliance—France, Britain, and Germany—alongside European Union representatives and an Italian envoy.
A U.S. official described the objective as “ironing out the final details…to draft a deal that is advantageous to them (Ukraine),” emphasizing that “nothing will be agreed on until the two presidents get together.” Zelenskyy, speaking from Kyiv, expressed cautious optimism, stating he hoped “there will be a result” while underscoring close coordination with Washington to avert a “difficult winter” of continued fighting. Yermak echoed this, noting a “very constructive mood” after European side meetings.
Separate U.S.-Russia talks are slated “quickly” but not in Geneva, signaling Moscow’s sidelined yet pivotal role.
The 28-Point Plan: Concessions and Controversies
Drafted over a month by Rubio and Witkoff with reported input from both Ukrainian and Russian sides, the proposal demands Kyiv cede control of additional eastern territories (beyond current Russian holdings, including parts of Donbas it still controls), cap its armed forces at 600,000 personnel, relinquish long-range weapons, and permanently forgo NATO membership. In return, it offers “robust security guarantees”—potentially an American-led commitment treating future attacks on Ukraine as threats to the trans-Atlantic alliance—alongside reconstruction aid modeled on the Marshall Plan and amnesty for alleged Russian war crimes.
Critics, including Zelenskyy, decry it as a “capitulation” that erodes Ukraine’s “dignity and freedom,” forcing a binary choice between sovereignty and U.S. support. European leaders, caught off-guard by its unilateral drafting, called it a “basis for talks” requiring “additional work” to safeguard borders from force, prevent military vulnerability, and elevate the EU’s role. A German-drafted European counterproposal, building on the U.S. framework, was forwarded to Kyiv and Washington over the weekend.
Confusion swirled around the plan’s origins after bipartisan U.S. senators claimed Rubio privately labeled it a “Russian wish list” en route to Geneva—a charge the State Department dismissed as “blatantly false,” with Rubio affirming it as a “strong framework” incorporating bilateral inputs.
Divergent Views from Moscow and Kyiv
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the plan as a “basis for resolution,” though he flagged potential objections to clauses mandating partial Russian withdrawals from captured areas. Trump, softening his tone Saturday, clarified it’s “not my final offer,” adding, “We’d like to get to peace… One way or the other, we have to get it ended,” while hinting at deadline flexibility “if things are working well.”
As delegations haggle behind closed doors, the talks—amid recent U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and Ukraine’s drone strikes—test the West’s unity and Ukraine’s leverage in a war that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. With an EU leaders’ summit looming Monday and a “coalition of the willing” video call Tuesday, the coming days could reshape Europe’s security landscape—or prolong the bloodshed.