Ukraine moves to rewrite Trump's plan: All key details from Geneva

Main points

• Ukraine and Europe will try to change the US peace plan. Yermak, Umerov, Witkoff, and Rubio will attend the meeting in Geneva.
• The meeting is taking place against the backdrop of the November 27 deadline set by the US administration for Ukraine.
• It's still unknown which positions Kyiv wants to change. Europe has prepared at least three counterproposals.
• Trump’s plan in its current form is not Ukraine’s last chance, and active diplomacy will continue next week.

Ukrainian delegation has begun its work

Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak said that the Ukrainian delegation has already started work in Geneva.

“I held the first meeting with the national security advisers to the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany: Jonathan Powell, Emmanuel Bonne, and Günter Sautter,” he said.

Yermak added that the next meeting will be with the US delegation, and the Ukrainian side is very constructive.

“In total, several meetings in various formats are scheduled for today. We continue working together to achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine,” he stressed.

Who went to the negotiations in Geneva

The negotiations in Switzerland became known after Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), Rustem Umerov, and the President’s Office announced the start of consultations with partners.

At the same time, a decree on the composition of the Ukrainian delegation appeared on the president’s website:

• Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, head of the delegation Andriy Yermak;
• Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov;
• Head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov;
• Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andrii Hnativ;
• Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Oleh Ivashchenko;
• First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Serhii Kyslytsia;
• First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Yevhen Ostrianskyi;
• Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Poklad;
• Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Oleksandr Bevz.

Later, it became known that the consultations would take place in Geneva. And on the American side, the president’s special envoys Dan Driscoll, Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also a national security adviser, are taking part.

On the European side, the advisers to the leaders of the UK, France, and Germany are involved in the talks. In addition, Björn Seibert, adviser to the head of the European Commission, is expected to join as an EU representative.

Why is the meeting in Geneva needed

This week, a new peace plan from Donald Trump for Ukraine leaked to the Western press. At first, various media published excerpts from the plan, after which Axios showed all 28 points.

In short, the plan (presumably partially written by Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev) envisions the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the government-controlled parts of Donbas in exchange for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kharkiv, Sumy, small parts of the Chernihiv and Mykolaiv regions, and freezing the front line in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

Ukraine also must agree to reduce its army, give up long-range weapons, grant official status to the Russian language and the Russian Orthodox Church, etc. The content of the plan has not been officially confirmed, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the existence of 28 points and that Ukraine will face a difficult choice.

Kyiv is also under pressure from the deadline. Trump confirmed that he expects a positive response by Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27.

The meeting in Geneva is an urgent attempt to finalize the plan with the participation of European partners. As Zelenskyy promised, they will try to do everything so that Ukraine’s national interests are reflected in this document.

It is not yet known what exactly the Yermak-Umerov delegation will try to change, since there are critical remarks about nearly every point.

As The Washington Post writes, the Europeans will try to exclude any limits on the size of the Armed Forces. They also want to return the Kinburn Spit, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and the Kakhovka Dam to Ukrainian control and obtain guarantees of free access to the Black Sea via the Dnipro River.

What happens next

Obviously, the active diplomatic process will continue at least until Thursday. Although it will most likely continue afterward.

Despite tough statements that if Zelenskyy rejects the plan, he will have to keep fighting (possibly with limited US aid), yesterday, Trump made it clear that his plan is not the last chance for Kyiv. And the press, citing officials in his administration, writes that the American side is completely open to amendments.

After Geneva, special envoy Witkoff will discuss everything with Dmitriev. The US delegation has already scheduled a quick meeting with the Russian one.

As for Moscow’s position, Vladimir Putin said that Trump’s plan could form the basis of a peace agreement for Ukraine, while also threatening further territorial seizures if Kyiv does not agree.

Tomorrow, November 24, a special EU summit on Ukraine will take place in Angola. Likely, comments on the Geneva meeting will already be heard from the leaders.

And already on Tuesday, the Coalition of the Willing will gather. As French President Emmanuel Macron stated, at this online meeting, they will discuss the advisers’ consultations and, depending on the progress, present new initiatives regarding Trump’s plan.