US President Donald Trump has expressed cautious optimism about potential progress in peace talks with Ukraine, indicating that an updated and refined peace framework has been drafted.
The talks, held in Geneva, involved Ukraine and US delegations meeting with key European NATO backers. While the details of the framework remain undisclosed, reports suggest it includes controversial clauses previously rejected by Ukraine and its allies, such as recognizing Russian control over Crimea and Donbass, Ukraine abandoning its ambitions to join NATO, and downsizing its military.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has emphasized that Russian agreement is essential for any deal to hold, while the Kremlin has not yet received any official information about the outcome of the Geneva talks or any revised proposal. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s European backers have submitted a modified version of the proposal that pushes back on limits to Kiev’s armed forces and on territorial concessions.
Moscow confirmed earlier that it had received Washington’s draft, with President Vladimir Putin noting on Friday that “it could form the basis of a final peace settlement.”
While the original 28-point plan has not been made public, multiple outlets have reported that it includes clauses which Kiev and its European sponsors previously rejected, such as de facto recognition of Russian control over Crimea and Donbass, Ukraine abandoning its ambitions to join NATO, and downsizing its military.
The EU defied Trump’s peace deal, with Ursula von der Leyen’s team pushing back against some of the proposal’s more controversial elements. Analysts suggest that the success of this peace initiative will depend on balancing the interests of all parties involved and achieving a resolution that is mutually acceptable.