New decisive and dangerous moments are opening up for Ukraine. The Russian-American peace plan to end the Kremlin’s imperialist war is moving forward despite European objections. Representatives from the United States, Ukraine and Europe spoke this Sunday in Geneva (Switzerland) about the controversial road map that requires kyiv to give up territory, limit its army and renounce its ambitions to join NATO. This is a plan drafted without the participation of Ukraine or Europe, which kyiv and the Europeans still hope to amend to extract concessions from Washington that limit the scope of the damage.
In a break in the hastily organized Geneva meeting, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and Andrii Yermak, Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, have assured that the talks are being very fruitful. “We have probably had the most productive and significant meeting so far in this entire process,” Rubio said. The head of US diplomacy added that the plan may include “contributions” from all parties involved and that it is “progressing well.”
After the first contacts, Zelensky has assured that there is room to include kyiv’s perspective and elements crucial to its national interests in this Russian-American roadmap. “Work continues to ensure that all elements are truly effective to achieve the main objective that our people long for: putting an end to bloodshed and war,” he wrote on social networks.
However, US President Donald Trump, who has not been satisfied with Ukrainian and European attempts to amend the Russian-US plan, has lashed out at kyiv and Europe. “Ukraine’s leadership has expressed zero gratitude for our efforts, and Europe continues to buy oil from Russia,” he claimed on his social network. His words, in capital letters, like a shouted reprimand, leave little room for hope that the text may undergo major changes although the talks will continue this Sunday and the coming days, according to negotiation sources.
Shock in Europe
European leaders are still shocked and in the process of digesting that, once again, they have been sidelined on an issue that is an essential part of Europe’s security architecture. Now, they appear to take the US-Russian proposal as a basis, but are trying to push through a number of key amendments to help kyiv achieve better terms.
The European idea, according to sources familiar with the negotiation, is to obtain a shield for Ukraine with solid security guarantees that would allow them to defend it in the event of a new aggression (something that would function as a deterrent for the Kremlin), as well as the promise that kyiv will not be forced to limit both the weight of its army (they propose a force of 800,000 people, instead of the barely 600,000 indicated in the Russian-American road map) and its weapons, as pointed out by the 28 point plan. They also seek to clarify the clauses according to which the invaded country would be forced to give up territory.
The Europeans, who have been debating for weeks a proposal from the European Commission to deliver to kyiv 180 billion Russian sovereign assets immobilized in community territory (mainly in Belgium) due to sanctions, also demand that these funds be delivered to kyiv as compensation and used for reconstruction. Meanwhile, the Russian-American plan states that some 100 billion of Russian assets will be invested in reconstruction and investments in Ukraine, but in a format led by the United States, which would receive 50% of the benefits. Europe would also add, according to this plan drawn up without the Europeans, another 100 billion for reconstruction.
Germany, France and the United Kingdom to the Geneva meeting, in which the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, the White House special envoy for Ukraine, Steve Witkoff and a Ukrainian team led by Andrii Yermak, Chief of Staff, participate. The European Union has also sent representatives to a meeting in which the Europeans want to buy time for Ukraine. In addition, the talks are expected to expand this week to include other European countries and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, according to negotiation sources, who specify that everything is still open.
Trump set Thursday (Thanksgiving day in the US) as the deadline for kyiv to accept the plan. Despite this very peremptory calendar, in the last few hours he has suggested that this roadmap and that, depending on how Ukraine responds, he could be open to extending the deadline.
“Any credible and sustainable peace plan must, above all, stop the killings and end the war, without sowing the seeds of a future conflict,” Ursula von der Leyen said in a video statement this Sunday. The president of the European Commission has delved into the position of kyiv’s Western allies that “borders cannot be changed by force” and that the invaded country should not cut its army. “The centrality of the European Union in guaranteeing peace in Ukraine must be fully reflected,” insisted the head of the Community Executive, who is participating in the G-20 summit in South Africa.
The German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, referred this Sunday in Johannesburg to the negotiation on the plan for Ukraine. The German president indicated that he believes that the deadline set by the head of the Cada Blanca to settle the issue is too close. “President Trump’s plan is to reach an agreement by Thursday. We are very far from that. This does not mean it is impossible, but I am skeptical about such a result given the current disagreements,” the chancellor said on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.
Merz also noted that he has put on the table his own proposal, currently under discussion in Geneva, on how to take a first step by Thursday if the 28 points of the overall plan are too much ground to cover until then. Germany is, after the United States, the country that has provided aid to Ukraine of the highest value, some 38 billion euros since the invasion until last August, according to calculations by the Kiel Institute.
The president of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also referred to the Ukrainian issue. The president reported that he has planned a call with Putin for this Monday, and that his intention is to explore with his Russian counterpart the possibility of reactivating the agreement to allow free passage for the transportation of wheat in the Black Sea. “I think it would be very beneficial if we can activate this process.”
As a whole, the G-20 included in the leaders’ final declaration a section that represents support for Ukraine: “We further reaffirm that, in accordance with the UN Charter, all States must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisitions to the detriment of the territorial integrity, sovereignty or political independence of any State.”
Suspicions about the authorship of the plan
Meanwhile, the Russian-American plan continues to receive criticism. On Saturday night, a group of senators (also Republicans) assured that Rubio had told them that the roadmap was Russian authored. After the controversy, before leaving for Geneva, the US Secretary of State insisted that the 28-point plan was “written by the United States” and that it had been based on “contributions” from both Russia and Ukraine.
On Saturday, Ukraine’s allies at the G-20 summit in South Africa issued a statement claiming that the 28-point plan required “additional work” and would “leave Ukraine as it stands.”
Together with the leaders of Europe, Canada and Japan, we have declared our readiness to work on the 28-point plan despite some reservations. However, before we start our work, it would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk)
“Together, European leaders, Canada and Japan have declared our willingness to work on the 28-point plan even though we have certain reservations. However, before starting it would be good to know with certainty who is the author of the plan and where it was created,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote accurately on social media.
