Ukraine’s negotiators have met with US officials on a 28-point Washington peace plan, and both sides reported progress
Share
NEW YORK — Facing pressure from US President Donald Trump to agree to a peace deal soon, Ukraine’s negotiators have met with US officials on a 28-point Washington peace plan, and both sides reported progress towards a deal.
After US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, met in Geneva on Sunday, they said in a joint statement that the consultations were “highly productive” and "showed meaningful progress”.
The plan has been criticised as weighted in favour of Russia and the negotiators were trying to find ways to make it acceptable to Ukraine, which is the victim of Moscow’s invasion.
Trump, who had said during his campaign last year that he would stop the Ukraine war within 24 hours of becoming president, hasn’t been able to end it ten months into his presidency, even as he was successful in managing a ceasefire in Gaza.
Raising hopes of a quick settlement, Trump met with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in May, only to see it fizzle, and a planned second round of talks in Budapest was canceled.
Putin has called the Trump plan an updated version of the points presented in Alaska.
Trump has been harsh against Russia and Ukraine by turns, and last month Russia was hit with stiffer sanctions, while this time Kyiv is facing the heat.
He gave Ukraine a Thursday deadline to agree to a deal based on the 28-point plan, although he has since said he would be flexible if there were progress.
He also said that the 28-point plan was not a “final offer” and “one way or another we have to get it (the war) ended”.
Trump’s plan, developed by his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, would allow Russia to get control of vast areas of Ukraine that it controls and those it covets, require Ukraine to withdraw from certain areas it is still holding on to, put limits on the size of Kyiv’s military, and close the door to NATO membership.
Because it is seen as favouring Russia, fissures arose in the Western alliance and even in Trump’s Republican Party.
Ten Western leaders, including Presidents Ursula von der Leyen of the European Council and Emmanuel Macron of France, Prime Ministers Mark Carney of Canada, Keir Starmer of Britain and Giorgia Meloni of Italy, and Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, were joined by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in criticising the plan.
“We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force”, they said in a statement. “We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack”.
Macron, who spoke with Zelensky, said the European leaders would meet on Tuesday to discuss the developments.
Reflecting the unease among Republicans, Senator Mitch McConnell said, “Putin has spent the entire year trying to play President Trump for a fool. If Administration officials are more concerned with appeasing Putin than securing real peace, then the President ought to find new advisors”.
While the talks were going on with Ukraine, Trump suddenly lashed out against Ukraine, saying its leaders “expressed zero gratitude”, and against the Europeans who were buying Russian oil.
Zelensky tried to mollify him for the umpteenth time, thanking him and “every American heart” for the help received.
Finally, any plan would have to get Putin’s agreement, which, according to Rubio, meant “the Russians get a vote here”.
Putin’s advisor Kirill Dmitriev met Witkoff last month in Miami for preliminary discussions on a peace plan.
Dmitriev, who heads Moscow’s investment agency, is under US sanctions and needed a special dispensation to visit the US.
Given the way it is structured, Putin appeared more open to the plan.
He said last week at a meeting of his National Security Council, “Despite certain difficult issues and complications, we nevertheless agree with these proposals and are ready to show the flexibility that has been offered to us”.