The United States and Ukraine have made significant progress on a peace plan to end the conflict with Russia, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He emphasized that Russian agreement is essential for any deal to be valid. The 28-point plan, reportedly, involves de facto recognition of Russia’s control over Crimea and Donbass and freezing contact lines in specified regions. The agreement also calls for Ukraine to limit its military to about 600,000 troops and avoid NATO membership.
After lengthy talks in Geneva, Switzerland, with a Ukrainian delegation, Rubio stressed that while ‘there’s still some work to be done,’ the progress made is significant. Some aspects involving the EU and NATO were placed on a separate track due to their involvement, and Rubio expressed caution about the remaining sticking points, calling the moment ‘very delicate.’ Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged receiving the US peace plan, stating that it has not been discussed in detail yet. He suggested it could form the basis of a final peace settlement, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized the need to avoid ‘megaphone diplomacy’ in discussing the roadmap.