Geneva Talks Begin Among U.S., Ukraine and Europe on Contested 28‑Point Peace Plan

Overview

• U.S., Ukrainian and European delegations convened in Geneva, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll meeting a team led by Andrii Yermak alongside representatives from France, Germany, the U.K., Italy and Canada.
• The U.S. draft would recognize Russian control over Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea, cap Ukraine’s forces at about 600,000 and bar NATO entry, while offering security guarantees and reconstruction financed in part by frozen Russian assets.
• European leaders said the text is only a starting point that requires changes, warning against limits that weaken Ukraine’s defense and reiterating that borders cannot be changed by force, with some floating a separate cease-fire framework and a proposed Peace Council chaired by Donald Trump.
• Trump set a Nov. 27 response date and sources reported warnings of reduced intelligence sharing and arms if Kyiv refuses, though he said the proposal is not final; senators claimed Rubio privately called it a Russian wishlist, which Rubio publicly denied, saying the plan was drafted by the U.S.
• Zelensky rejected key terms as overly favorable to Moscow, formed a negotiating team to seek alternatives with allies, and entered talks as Putin signaled conditional openness to the plan and Russian forces claimed new gains in eastern Ukraine.