US President Donald Trump indicated there is room for negotiations on a US plan to end the war in Ukraine, which has met resistance from Kiev, its allies and US politicians, ahead of talks on the proposal in Switzerland.
Trump has given Ukraine until November 27 to approve the plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, but Ukraine is seeking changes to a draft that accepts some of Russia’s tough demands.
The US insisted on Saturday that the proposal was official US policy, denying claims by a group of US senators that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told them the document was a Russian “wish list”.
The 28-point plan would require the invaded country to cede territory, cut off its military and pledge never to join NATO.
Trump told reporters on Saturday that this was not his last offer and that he hoped to stop the fighting “somehow.”
Ukraine’s European allies, who were not involved in drafting the proposal, said the plan requires “additional work” as they rushed to the G20 summit in South Africa to make a counter-offer to strengthen Ukraine’s position.
A US official told AFP that Rubio and diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff would land in Geneva on Sunday for the talks and that US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll had already arrived after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev.
“The peace proposal was written by the US,” Rubio wrote on social media late Saturday.
“It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”
Russian ‘representatives’ expected
Zelenskyy issued a decree appointing the Ukrainian delegation for the talks, led by his top aide Andriy Yermak.
It also said the negotiations would involve “representatives of the Russian Federation,” but there was no immediate confirmation from Russia whether the country would participate in the talks.
Zelenskyy said there will be “consultations with partners on the steps needed to end the war.”
“Our representatives know how to defend Ukraine’s national interests and what is needed to prevent Russia from launching a third invasion” after annexing Crimea in 2014 and launching a full-scale offensive in 2022, he said.
Western leaders said at the G20 summit that the US plan “is a foundation that will require additional work.”
“We are clear on the principle that borders should not be changed by force. We are also concerned about the proposed restrictions on the Ukrainian armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks,” the leaders of key European countries, Canada and Japan said in a joint statement.
Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation on Friday that Ukraine is facing one of the most challenging moments in its history, adding that he would propose “alternatives” to Trump’s plan.
“The pressure on Ukraine is one of the toughest. Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing an important partner,” Zelenskyy said, referring to a possible rift with Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the blueprint could “lay the foundation” for a final peace settlement, but threatened more land seizures if Ukraine abandoned negotiations.
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