IRIA News

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Senior officials from the United States, Ukraine, and Europe met in Geneva on November 23, 2025, to discuss the highly contentious 28-point peace proposal that has triggered alarm across Kyiv and European capitals.

The meeting came amid growing confusion over the origins of the plan, accusations that it mirrors Russian demands, and pressure from Washington for Ukraine to accept it within days.

The discussions began behind closed doors as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that his country was facing “one of the most difficult moments in our history,” saying Ukraine was being asked to choose between preserving its sovereign rights and maintaining American support.

The U.S. delegation in Geneva is led by Secretary of State Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Ukrainian representation includes Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and national security secretary Rustem Umerov.

The EU sent senior officials Bjoern Seibert and Pedro Lourtie. National security advisers from France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, known collectively as the E3, also joined the talks.

The White House said the aim of the meeting was to coordinate a common response to the U.S. draft and explore modifications to it. Zelenskyy has not publicly rejected the plan but has insisted he expects fair treatment from Washington.

On Saturday, European allies said they viewed the U.S. plan as a draft and a basis for “additional work,” signaling their intention to push for substantial revisions.

Ukraine Under Military and Domestic Pressure

The talks come at a dire time for Ukraine. Russian forces have made incremental but costly gains near Pokrovsk, while Ukrainian commanders report shortages of manpower needed to repel small but frequent Russian incursions.

Russia continues its campaign of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing widespread outages. Millions of Ukrainians are facing hours without electricity, heating, or water each day.

Ukraine has responded with deeper strikes into Russia. On Sunday, Kyiv launched what officials described as one of its largest attacks on a power plant in the Moscow region, causing a major fire and interrupting heating for thousands.

Zelenskyy is also confronting a domestic corruption scandal that has implicated several officials in his government. Critics say the timing of the scandal could weaken Ukraine’s position in negotiations and reduce public trust.

Plan Seen as Favorable to Russia

The 29-point peace plan, first presented by Washington last week, calls on Ukraine to cede territory, scale back its military forces, and abandon its aspirations to join NATO. Several of these points align closely with long-standing demands from Moscow.

For many Ukrainians, including soldiers still fighting on the front lines, the terms are viewed as unacceptable after nearly four years of war, Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said Zelenskyy had until Thursday to approve the proposal. On Saturday, he softened his position, saying the document was “not a final offer” and that he wanted “to get to peace.”

Confusion over the authorship of the proposal intensified the backlash. Some U.S. senators said they were told the plan was merely a Russian “wish list,” an account Secretary of State Marco Rubio later rejected saying that “The peace proposal was authored by the U.S. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”

A State Department spokesperson accused senators of making “blatantly false” claims, while the White House reiterated that Rubio and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff had spent months working on the framework with participation from both Russians and Ukrainians.

European Allies Not Consulted

European governments said they were not consulted before the proposal was circulated. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking at the G20 in Johannesburg, said the objective now was to craft a version “acceptable to Ukraine” that could be used in negotiations with Russia. “Right now, I’m not yet convinced we’re going to get the solution President Trump wants in the next few days,” he said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Ukraine’s borders “cannot be changed by force” and stressed that Ukraine’s military must not be left vulnerable. She added that Europe must have a central role in shaping any settlement. “Ukraine must have the freedom to choose its own destiny,” she said, outlining conditions she considered essential for a durable peace.

Von der Leyen emphasized that limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces would undermine both Kyiv’s security and European security more broadly. She also highlighted the issue of abducted Ukrainian children, calling it “a crucial element” that must be addressed in any agreement.

Senators Warn Plan Would Reward Aggression

American lawmakers have expressed concern that Trump’s pressure campaign could embolden Russia. Senator Angus King said the proposal “rewards aggression,” warning it would send the wrong message to leaders who threaten their neighbors. “There’s no ethical, legal, moral, or political justification for Russia claiming eastern Ukraine,” he said.

Republican Senator Mike Rounds said the plan appeared to have been “written in Russian to begin with,” adding that the administration wanted to use it only as a “starting point.”

Putin welcomed the proposal on Friday, calling it a potential “basis of a final peace settlement” if Washington could secure Ukraine’s agreement.

Europe Seeks Time for a Better Deal

European leaders say they want to buy time for Ukraine to negotiate a stronger deal. Speaking in Johannesburg, von der Leyen told European partners that any credible agreement must “stop the killing and end the war, while not sowing the seeds for a future conflict.”

She stressed that Ukraine’s chosen path toward Europe, beginning with reconstruction, deeper integration with the EU single market, and eventual full EU membership, must not be compromised.

The EU, Ukraine, and Canada plan to co-host a summit focused on the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia.

Trump says he wants Ukraine to accept the plan by late next week, while Zelenskyy has warned that Ukraine’s dignity, freedom, and continued U.S. support are at stake.

As the Geneva talks continue, Ukraine’s allies are racing to revise the proposal into something they consider viable, while Kyiv faces renewed Russian attacks, domestic political pressure, and the risk of negotiating from a weakened military position.