US engaged Ukraine and Russia equally on peace plan, White House says
Photo: Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary (Getty Images)
The United States engaged equally with both Ukraine and Russia while preparing its peace plan, said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Leavitt recalled that President Donald Trump made it clear during his election campaign that he wanted to achieve an end to Russia's war against Ukraine. At the same time, the US leader had become "increasingly frustrated" with both sides of the conflict for "their refusal to commit to a peace agreement."
The press secretary clarified that over the past month, US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been "quietly working" on the peace plan.
"They've been engaging with both sides, Russia and Ukraine equally, to understand what these countries would commit to in order to see a lasting and durable peace," Leavitt said.
She added that she would not discuss the details of the plan because it is still being drafted and remains subject to change.
"But the President supports this plan. It's a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine, and we believe it should be acceptable to both sides. And we are working hard to get it done," the Press Secretary emphasized.
She added that the United States Secretary of the Army, Dan Driscoll, was "very optimistic" after his meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
US plan
Earlier, media reports said the United States had been developing the peace plan together with Russia, while only sending certain signals to Ukraine.
At the same time, the contents of the plan published by Western outlets look more like a list of Kremlin ultimatums. Ukraine is essentially being pushed to hand over Donbas to Russia and cut the size of its army to 40% of its current strength.
Today, November 20, the Office of the President reported that the US delegation handed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a draft of the peace plan. He is expected to discuss the initiative with US President Donald Trump.
