US and Ukraine Edge Closer to Peace Framework

US and Ukrainian negotiators say they have completed work on an “updated and refined peace framework” after several days of discussions in Geneva, which both sides described as “highly productive,” reported the BBC. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been a “tremendous amount of progress” in narrowing remaining “open items” in the 28-point US-backed plan, though “there’s still some work to be done” before anything can be presented to Russia. He stressed that any final agreement must be approved by the US and Ukrainian presidents first. 

The Kremlin said it had not yet been briefed, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirming Moscow had received no information from the talks.

European Leaders Reactions

President Volodymyr Zelensky said there were “signals that President [Donald] Trump’s team is hearing us,” calling the moment “critical” for Ukraine in an address to Sweden’s parliament. He warned that “Putin wants legal recognition for what he has stolen, to break the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty,” adding that Ukraine had kept “sensitive points,” including the release of all Ukrainian prisoners of war, on the negotiating table.

European leaders mostly welcomed the movement in Geneva, while cautioning that significant issues remain unresolved. 

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb described the talks as “a step forward,” though emphasized that EU and NATO decisions must follow their own processes. 

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesperson told the press, “Of course, there are some outstanding issues, but as both countries have set out, intensive work on the peace plan will continue in the coming days and weeks.”

European Council President Antonio Costa wrote on X that the meeting “marked significant progress.”

Leaked Draft

Leaked elements of the still-unpublished plan reveal several contentious proposals. These include Ukrainian withdrawal from parts of Donetsk currently under its control and international recognition of Russia’s de facto control of Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea. The draft also freezes front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, limits Ukraine’s armed forces to 600,000 personnel, and includes a pledge that Kyiv will not seek NATO membership in exchange for unspecified “reliable security guarantees.” It further states that Russia is “expected” not to invade its neighbours and suggests reintegrating Russia into the global economy, potentially including a return to the G7.

On Sunday Morning, President Trump wrote on Truth Social, “The War between Russia and Ukraine is a violent and terrible one that, with strong and proper U.S. and Ukrainian LEADERSHIP, would have NEVER HAPPENED.” He had earlier pressed Kyiv to respond to the draft by Thursday, but later said it was not a “final offer.”

Rubio insisted the document was authored by the US with input from Kyiv and Moscow, countering claims from a group of senators who said he had described it as a Russian proposal.

Rubio told reporters he remained “very optimistic that we’re going to get there… very soon,” while the BBC reports that both Washington and Kyiv expect technical work on the framework to continue in the coming days.