GENEVA, Switzerland — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Geneva Sunday morning for discussions on a US plan to end the Ukraine war, after Washington signalled room for negotiation on the controversial proposal.
Trump has given Ukraine until November 27 to approve the plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, but Kyiv is seeking changes to a draft that accepts some of Russia’s hardline demands.
Rubio, whose reported comments about the plan have thrown an extraordinary element of confusion into efforts to negotiate an end to the war, landed shortly before 9:30 am (0830 GMT), according to AFP journalists on site.
Ukrainian, European and Canadian officials were also gathering in the Swiss city, although the format for the talks remained unclear.
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The US plan to end the Ukraine war has drawn pushback from Kyiv, its allies and US lawmakers ahead of Sunday talks.
The 28-point plan would require the invaded country to cede territory, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO. Trump told reporters Saturday it was not his final offer and he hoped to stop the fighting “one way or the other.”
Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, speaking on Fox News, described the plan as “a work in progress.”
Ukraine’s European allies, who were not included in drafting the proposal, said the plan requires “additional work” as they scrambled at the G20 summit in South Africa to come up with a counter-offer to strengthen Kyiv’s position.
Washington, meanwhile, insisted Saturday the proposal was official US policy, denying claims by a group of US senators that Rubio told them the document was a Russian “wish list.”
Rubio himself insisted on social media late Saturday that “the peace proposal was authored by the US.”
“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.”
READ: US peace plan ‘good’ for Russia, Ukraine – White House
Ukrainian dignity not negotiable
Diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff and US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll were also scheduled to take part on the US side, while the Ukrainian delegation is headed by Andriy Yermak, a top aide of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Consultations will take place with partners regarding the steps needed to end the war,” Zelensky said.
“Our representatives know how to defend Ukraine’s national interests and what is necessary to prevent Russia from launching a third invasion,” having annexed Crimea in 2014 and mounted a full-scale offensive in 2022, he said.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the senior officials would meet in Geneva “to take things further forward”, stressing the importance of solid “security guarantees” for Ukraine under any settlement.
Starmer said his national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, would be in Geneva. Italian diplomatic sources said Rome was sending national security advisor Fabrizio Saggio.
Security officials from the EU, France and Germany will also attend, French President Emmanuel Macron told a news conference at the G20, while Canada’s national security advisor was also expected.
“There is no scenario in which Ukraine’s dignity and liberty is negotiable,” Alice Rufo of France’s deputy armed forces minister, told French radio Sunday before heading to Geneva.
READ: Ukraine would cede Donbas to Russia under 28-point US plan
‘Plan needs more work’
Western leaders at the G20 summit said that the US plan was “a basis which will require additional work.”
“We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack,” the leaders of key European countries, Canada and Japan said in a joint statement.
Macron said the plan contained points that had to be more broadly discussed as they concerned European allies, such as Ukraine’s NATO ties and Russian frozen assets held in the EU.
He said the 30 countries in the “coalition of the willing” supporting Kyiv will hold a video call on Tuesday following the Geneva talks.
“We all want peace, and we are agreed. We want the peace to be strong and lasting,” he said, insisting a settlement must “take into account the security of all Europeans.”
Zelensky said in an address to the nation on Friday that Ukraine faces 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 hardest. Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner,” Zelensky said, referring to a possible break with Washington.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said the blueprint could “lay the foundation” for a final peace settlement, but threatened more land seizures if Ukraine walked away from negotiations.