US, Ukraine and European officials meet in Geneva for talks on peace plan
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Convoys of diplomatic vehicles shuttled through Geneva on the morning of Nov 23 as the talks were about to get under way.
PHOTO: REUTERS
GENEVA – Ukrainian, US and European officials met in Geneva on Nov 23 to discuss a draft plan presented by Washington to end the war in Ukraine, after Kyiv and its allies voiced alarm over what they saw as major concessions to the aggressor Russia.
On Nov 21, US President Donald Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had until Nov 27 to approve the 28-point plan, which calls on Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military and renounce ambitions to join NATO.
For many Ukrainians, including soldiers fighting on the front lines, such terms would amount to capitulation after nearly four years of fighting in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
Since the plan was announced, there has been considerable confusion about who was involved in drawing it up.
European allies said they had not been consulted.
As the officials gathered in Geneva, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the goal was to craft a plan acceptable to Ukraine, which could be used in a negotiation with Russia.
That would likely take time, he said.
“Right now, I’m not yet convinced we’re going to get the solution President Trump wants in the next few days,” Mr Merz said on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Johannesburg.
Before heading to Geneva, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted in a post on X that Washington had authored the plan.
Senator Angus King said Mr Rubio had told senators the plan was not the administration’s position, but “essentially the wish list of the Russians”.
A perilous moment for Ukraine
The draft plan, which includes many of Russia’s key demands and offers only vague assurances to Ukraine of “robust security guarantees”, comes at a perilous moment for the country.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Nov 23 that Ukraine’s borders cannot be changed by force, its army cannot be left vulnerable to attack and that the European Union must have a central role in a Ukraine peace deal.
Russia has been making gains along the front in the east and south of Ukraine, albeit slowly and, according to Western and Ukrainian officials, extremely costly in terms of lives lost.
The transportation hub of Pokrovsk has been partially taken by Russian forces and Ukrainian commanders say they do not have enough soldiers to prevent small, persistent incursions.
Ukraine’s power and gas facilities have been pummelled by drone and missile attacks, meaning millions of people are without water, heating and power for hours each day.
Mr Zelensky himself has been under pressure domestically after a major corruption scandal broke, ensnaring some of his ministers and people in his close entourage.
He has warned that Ukraine risked losing its dignity and freedom – or Washington’s backing – over the US plan.
Handing the advantage to Russia?
Mr Zelensky welcomed the diplomatic efforts in Geneva, saying that he hoped they would lead to a result.
Kyiv had taken heart in recent weeks after the United States tightened sanctions on Russia’s oil sector, the main source of funding for the war, while its own long-range drone and missile strikes have caused considerable damage to the industry.
But the draft peace plan appears to hand the diplomatic advantage back to Moscow.
Ukraine relies heavily on US intelligence and weapons to sustain its war against Russia.
Mr Rubio and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived on Nov 23 for the hastily convened Geneva meeting.
“We hope to iron out the final details... to draft a deal that is advantageous to them (Ukraine),” a US official said. “Nothing will be agreed on until the two presidents get together,” the official said, referring to Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky.
Europeans draft plans based on US proposal
US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll was also in Geneva for the talks, where Ukraine’s delegation is led by the head of Mr Zelensky’s office, Mr Andriy Yermak.
Mr Yermak said his delegation met the national security advisers from Britain, France and Germany and would next hold talks with the United States.
European and other Western leaders said on Nov 22 the US peace plan was a basis for talks to end the war but needed “additional work”.
A German government source said a European draft peace plan, which is based on the US proposal, had been sent to Ukraine and to the US administration.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Nov 24 about Ukraine and share the outcome with European and US allies.
Mr Putin has described the plan as the basis for a resolution to the conflict, but Moscow may object to some proposals in the scheme, which requires its forces to pull back from some areas they have captured.
A German government source said a European draft peace plan based on the US proposal had been sent to Ukraine and to the US administration.
Asked about it, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said many plans had been floated featuring a range of contributions.
“That means that we have plenty of material to put together a peace plan which leads to a sustainable and just peace,” he told Reuters in Johannesburg. REUTERS
