The United States and Ukraine say they have made substantial progress on an “updated and refined peace framework” aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, following what both sides described as “highly productive” negotiations in Geneva. In a joint statement released on Sunday, officials confirmed that talks on the US-backed proposal would continue intensively over the coming days, as negotiators work to bridge remaining gaps.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Geneva discussions produced “a tremendous amount of progress” on narrowing disputed sections of the 28-point draft plan. He added that although negotiators had a “very good day”, several unresolved issues still required further work. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also suggested cautious optimism, noting that there were “signals that President Trump’s team is hearing us”.
Rubio explained that the core aim of the meeting was to reduce the number of “open items” in the draft and said this had been achieved “in a substantial way”. He emphasised, however, that any final agreement would need the approval of both the US and Ukrainian presidents before it could be presented to Russia.
The positive tone surrounding the Geneva talks contrasted sharply with remarks made earlier in the day by President Donald Trump, who accused Ukraine of showing “zero gratitude” for what he described as US efforts to end the conflict. Trump also criticised European nations for continuing to buy Russian oil, arguing that such purchases indirectly support Moscow’s war machine. His comments added a new layer of tension to an already delicate negotiation process.
The diplomatic landscape was further complicated by reports in several media outlets claiming that European allies, led by the UK, France, and Germany, had drafted an alternative plan to end the war. The BBC said it had not seen the document, while Rubio denied any knowledge of it.
Although the full US-backed draft has not been publicly released, significant details have leaked in recent days, sparking concern among Ukrainian and European officials. The reported provisions include Ukraine withdrawing troops from sections of eastern Donetsk that it currently controls, and international recognition of Russia’s de facto authority over Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea. The plan is also said to propose freezing the front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia along their current positions, reducing the size of Ukraine’s armed forces to 600,000 personnel, and requiring Kyiv to abandon its bid for NATO membership in exchange for unspecified “reliable security guarantees”. In addition, the draft reportedly envisions Russia’s reintegration into the global economy through the lifting of sanctions and potentially restoring Moscow to the G7.
The origins of the draft plan have been the subject of political dispute in Washington. Rubio has insisted that the document was authored by the United States with input from Ukraine and Russia, rejecting claims from a bipartisan group of senators who said he previously described the plan as Russian-authored. The State Department also dismissed the senators’ account as “blatantly false”.
Trump had initially suggested that Ukraine had until Thursday to accept the proposal, though he later said the leaked draft did not constitute a “final offer”. Rubio reiterated that negotiations were moving swiftly and said he was “very optimistic that we’re going to get there in a very reasonable period of time”, suggesting that an agreement could emerge as early as next week.
Melissa Enoch
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