US working on changes to Ukraine peace plan after Geneva talks, Rubio says
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that after talks with Ukraine in Geneva, some changes are being made to the US peace plan, Sky News reports.
After the negotiations, Rubio told reporters that today's meetings were the "most productive and meaningful" for him.
He clarified that the Washington team is making "some changes" to the peace plan and added that much work still remains. He also indicated that additional information may be released later.
"We have a very good work product that was already built on a foundation of input from all the relevant parties involved here, and we were able to go through some of those items now, point by point. And I think we've made good progress," the Secretary of State said.
Rubio noted that the US and Ukrainian teams have now separated into different rooms, as the American team "works on some of the suggestions that were proffered to us."
"So we're working through, making some changes in the hopes of further narrowing the differences and getting closer to something that both Ukraine and obviously the United States are very comfortable with," Rubio said.
He also emphasized that any plan requires approval from US President Donald Trump and proposals from Russia, but he remains "comfortable" about the process.
US peace plan
Recently, the United States unveiled a 28-point peace plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Under its terms, Ukraine would withdraw from Donbas, reduce the size of its Armed Forces, give up long-range weapons, and comply with several additional conditions.
Yesterday, European leaders said the proposal could serve as a basis for peace but requires significant revisions. An updated version has already been sent from Europe to Washington. Consultations are now underway in Geneva between the US, Ukraine, and Europe to make the document more favorable for Kyiv.
Zelenskyy has already issued a statement following the opening round of talks in Geneva, noting that the US peace plan could incorporate elements that are critical to Ukraine's national interests.
Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said that the current draft of the document, whose amendments are still under discussion, already incorporates most of Ukraine's key priorities.
