US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who headed the US delegation in Geneva on Sunday (November 23), said that the US was making “some changes” to its peace plan after talks with Ukraine in his first appearance. Rubio made the remarks in the presence of Ukrainian presidential adviser Andrii Yermak, while providing an update on peace deal talks in Geneva.
In his statement, Marco Rubio also hailed “a tremendous amount of progress” with Ukraine. “I feel very optimistic that we can get something done here because we made a tremendous amount of progress today,” he said.
“I don’t want to declare victory or finality here. There’s still some work to be done, but we are much further ahead today at this time than we were when we began this morning and where we were a week ago, for certain, Rubio said.
Despite his optimism, Rubiodidn’t offer much in the way of specifics when asked by reporters.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio led a US delegation that met with Ukrainian and European officials in Geneva on Sunday to try to thrash out a plan for ending the conflict in Ukraine, which began in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion.
US President Donald Trump had given Ukraine until November 27 to approve his controversial plan to end nearly four years of fighting.
But Kyiv sought changes to a draft that accepted a range of Moscow’s hardline demands, with the 28-point plan requiring the invaded country to cede territory, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO, Reuters reported.
An official statement released by the White House after the US and Ukraine’s talks in Geneva announced a new draft, which appeared to indicate that changes were indeed made.
“The talks were constructive, focused, and respectful, underscoring the shared commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace,” the joint statement said.
“As a result of the discussions, the parties drafted an updated and refined peace framework,” the statement read.
It added that both sides agreed the consultations were highly productive. “The discussions showed meaningful progress toward aligning positions and identifying clear next steps. They reaffirmed that any future agreement must fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty and deliver a sustainable and just peace,” it said.
The statement informed that the final decision under this framework will be made by the Presidents of Ukraine and the US. “Both sides reiterated their readiness to continue working together to secure a peace that ensures Ukraine’s security, stability, and reconstruction,” it added.
All these developments came after Donald Trump took to social media to criticise Ukraine’s leadership. He said Ukraine had not been grateful for American efforts over the war, prompting Ukrainian officials to stress their gratitude to the US President for his support.
He claimed it showed “ZERO GRATITUDE” to the US – something we first heard back in February when he publicly berated Zelensky.
However, the White House’ join statement read, ‘The Ukrainian delegation reaffirmed its gratitude for the steadfast commitment of the United States and, personally, President Donald J. Trump for their tireless efforts aimed at ending the war and the loss of life.”