US Secretary of State Rubio is “cautiously optimistic” after holding talks with Ukrainian, US and European representatives on plans to end Russia’s war of aggression. A preliminary agreement is in sight.
According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, there has been “major progress” in negotiations in Geneva on the US plan to end the war in Ukraine. A basic document has been drawn up and controversial points have been narrowed down, Rubio said at a news conference after talks with Ukrainian representatives. The document continues to be processed. He was “cautiously optimistic” that a deal could be reached “very soon.” “Today is the most productive day we have had so far,” said the US Secretary of State.
Questions that remain open include, for example, the future role of the EU and NATO and also what security guarantees Ukraine will receive. Despite repeated requests, Rubio did not want to provide further details. There are no unresolved questions that can’t be addressed, Rubio said. Some of these questions are semantic, others relate to higher levels of decision making.
As for what happens next, Rubio said later in the evening: “Ultimately, our president will have to approve this, but I’m very confident it will happen, given the progress we’ve made.” The Russian side must also agree to the plan. When asked about a deadline, the US Secretary of State was only vague: Ideally, they would like to reach a conclusion by Thursday – perhaps sooner or later, Rubio said.
Rubio: Ultimately, the president has to approve it
Delegations from America, Ukraine and several European countries, including Germany, began talks in Geneva on Sunday on America’s proposed 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj considered the talks in Geneva positive. “There are signals that President Trump’s team is listening to us,” he said in his evening video address.
The initial plan suited Russia
In its original version, the plan largely met Moscow’s main demands and bypassed Kiev’s long-formulated red lines. He demanded painful concessions from Ukraine, such as ceding most of eastern Ukraine to Russia, limiting troop numbers and not becoming a member of NATO. Ukrainian President Zelensky rejected the first draft of the US plan on Friday and announced that he would put forward an “alternative”. European countries also called for improvements.
Earlier in the evening, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, spoke of “good progress” in talks in Geneva. According to the Chairman of Ukraine’s Security Council, Rustem Umerov, the revised version of the plan now takes into account some of Ukraine’s “most important priorities.”
Trump accused Ukraine of a lack of gratitude
Shortly before the meeting, Trump accused Ukraine of a lack of gratitude for US military aid in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday. He did not criticize Russia. Trump also opposed US allies in Europe. Ukrainian “leadership” showed no gratitude for our efforts, and Europe continued to buy oil from Russia,” he wrote.
After Trump’s post was published, Ukrainian President Zelensky said he was grateful for the US-led security efforts. “At the heart of the whole diplomatic situation is that Russia, and only Russia, started this war,” he added.
