Kyiv [Ukraine], November 24: Ukrainian, U.S. and European officials met in Geneva on Sunday to discuss a draft plan presented by Washington to end the war in Ukraine, after Kyiv and its allies voiced alarm over what they saw as major concessions to the aggressor Russia.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has championed the 28-point plan, said on Sunday that Ukraine had not been grateful for American efforts over the war, prompting Ukrainian officials to stress their gratitude to the U.S. president for his support.
On Friday, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had until Thursday to approve the plan, which calls on Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military and renounce ambitions to join NATO.
For many Ukrainians, including soldiers fighting on the front lines, such terms would amount to capitulation after nearly four years of fighting in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two. On Saturday, Trump said the current proposal for ending the war is not his final offer.
With the U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the main talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials got under way in Geneva on Sunday afternoon in a stiff atmosphere at the U.S. mission, soon after Trump complained in a Truth Social post that Ukraine's leadership had shown "zero gratitude" to the U.S. for its efforts and Europe continued to buy Russian oil.
Rubio interrupted the meeting to speak to reporters, saying that the talks had been probably the best the U.S. had held with Ukraine since Trump returned to power.
He said changes would be made to the plan to work towards a solution that both Ukraine and the U.S. were comfortable with.
"Obviously this will ultimately have to be signed off with our presidents, although I feel very comfortable about that happening given the progress we've made," said Rubio, who arrived in Geneva with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian delegation, was at pains to thank Trump for his commitment to Kyiv during the brief remarks, before he and Rubio returned to their talks. Minutes later, Zelenskiy himself offered thanks to Trump.
Since the U.S. plan was announced, there has been confusion about who was involved in drawing it up. European allies said they had not been consulted.
As officials began meeting, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the goal was to craft a plan acceptable to Ukraine which could be used in a negotiation with Russia.
"Right now, I'm not yet convinced we're going to get the solution President Trump wants in the next few days," Merz said on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Johannesburg.
Before heading to Geneva, Rubio insisted on X that Washington had authored the plan after remarks from some U.S. senators suggesting otherwise.
Senator Angus King said Rubio had told senators the plan was not the administration's position, but "essentially the wish-list of the Russians."
Europeans have submitted a modified version of the U.S. plan for Ukraine that pushes back on proposed limits to Kyiv's armed forces and territorial concessions, according to a document seen by Reuters on Sunday.
A PERILOUS MOMENT FOR UKRAINE
The draft U.S. plan, which includes many of Russia's key demands and offers only vague assurances to Ukraine of "robust security guarantees", comes at a perilous moment for Kyiv.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that Ukraine's borders cannot be changed by force, its army cannot be left vulnerable to attack and that the European Union must have a central role in a Ukraine peace deal.
Russia has been making gains on parts of the front, albeit slowly and, according to Western and Ukrainian officials, the advances have been extremely costly in terms of lives lost.
The transportation hub of Pokrovsk has been partially taken by Russian forces and Ukrainian commanders say they do not have enough soldiers to prevent small, persistent incursions.
Ukraine's power and gas facilities have been pummelled by drone and missile attacks, meaning millions of people are without water, heating and power for hours each day.
Zelenskiy himself has been under pressure domestically after a major corruption scandal broke, ensnaring some of his ministers and people in his close entourage.
He has warned that Ukraine risked losing its dignity and freedom - or Washington's backing - over the U.S. plan.
HANDING THE ADVANTAGE TO RUSSIA?
Zelenskiy welcomed the diplomatic efforts in Geneva, saying that he hoped they would lead to a result.
Kyiv had taken heart in recent weeks after the United States tightened sanctions on Russia's oil sector, the main source of funding for the war, while its own long-range drone and missile strikes have caused considerable damage to the industry.
But the draft peace plan appears to hand the diplomatic advantage back to Moscow. Ukraine relies heavily on U.S. intelligence and weapons to sustain its war against Russia.
European and other Western leaders have said the U.S. peace plan was a basis for talks to end the war but needed more work.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday about Ukraine and share the outcome with European and U.S. allies.
Putin has described the plan as the basis for a resolution to the conflict, but Moscow may object to some proposals in the scheme, which requires its forces to pull back from some areas they have captured.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
