The United States and Ukraine have announced an “updated and refined peace framework” to end the war with Russia, hours after European countries proposed their own alternative plan. The revised approach follows criticism of an original US-backed document, leaked last week, which was seen as containing pro-Russian points.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emerged from talks in Switzerland on Sunday with a Ukrainian delegation led by Andriy Yermak, expressing optimism about progress. A joint statement said any eventual deal would “fully uphold” Ukraine’s sovereignty. The original 28-point US document had demanded Ukraine cede territory, limit its army, and drop attempts to prosecute Russia for alleged war crimes.
European allies, caught off guard by Washington’s initiative, published their own Kyiv-friendly plan. It proposes that territorial negotiations begin only after a ceasefire, starting from the existing frontline, and that any truce be monitored under US supervision. The European alternative does not require Ukraine to withdraw from cities it controls in eastern Donbas and does not rule out Nato membership. It also suggests Russia hand the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station to the International Atomic Energy Agency, with power split 50-50 between Moscow and Kyiv. Ukraine’s peacetime army would be capped at 800,000 soldiers, and frozen Russian assets would fund reconstruction rather than going to US investors.
Before the talks, President Donald Trump said Ukraine had shown “zero gratitude” for US efforts, prompting a conciliatory response from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked Washington for military assistance. Rubio had earlier admitted the White House plan was conceived in Moscow before insisting the US authored it. The document was reportedly drafted by Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s envoy, and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special representative.
Trump later backed away from his demand that Zelenskyy sign off by Thursday, saying it was “not my final offer”. After the Geneva talks, Rubio said “tremendous progress” had been made, adding he was optimistic a deal could be reached soon. Yermak described the talks as moving towards “the just and lasting peace” Ukrainians deserve.
