The United States and Ukraine planned to continue discussions on Monday to advance a new proposal aimed at ending the war with Russia. The two countries agreed to revise an earlier version that many critics said leaned too heavily in Moscow’s favor.
In a joint statement, Washington and Kyiv said they had developed a “refined peace framework” following talks in Geneva on Sunday, though they did not share any details about the changes.
According to the White House, Ukraine’s delegation said the updated version “reflects their national interests” and “meets their core strategic requirements.” Kyiv, however, did not release its own official statement. It remains unclear how the revised plan addresses key issues, such as long-term security guarantees for Ukraine against continuing threats from Russia.
The US and Ukraine said they will keep working “intensively” ahead of a Thursday deadline. Still, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio—who led the American side in the Geneva talks—flew back to Washington on Sunday, raising questions about the timeline.
President Donald Trump has continued pressuring Ukraine to accept a deal. On Sunday, he accused Kyiv of showing “zero gratitude” for American support, prompting Ukrainian officials to publicly reaffirm their appreciation. Trump previously set Thursday as the deadline for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to accept the offer, though Rubio signaled the date might not be final.
Sources familiar with the situation said Zelenskiy may travel to the United States this week to discuss the most sensitive parts of the agreement with Trump directly.
The initial 28-point plan presented by the US last week called for Ukraine to surrender territory, restrict its military, and drop its push to join NATO. For many Ukrainians, such terms are seen as unacceptable after nearly four years of intense fighting—the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
The original proposal surprised many US officials. Two sources said it was drafted during an October meeting in Miami attended by special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kirill Dmitriev, a sanctioned Russian representative.
EUROPEAN NATIONS ISSUE COUNTER-PROPOSAL
Democratic lawmakers criticized the initial plan, calling it essentially a list of Russian demands. Rubio has insisted, however, that the proposal was produced by Washington with input from both sides of the conflict.
European allies said they were excluded from the drafting process. On Sunday, they released their own counter-proposal that reduces some territorial concessions and includes a NATO-style security guarantee from the United States if Ukraine is attacked again.
These negotiations come as Russia slowly advances in several regions and continues heavy drone and missile strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Millions of Ukrainians are left without water, heating, and electricity for hours at a time.
Zelenskiy is also facing political pressure at home as a major corruption scandal involving some of his ministers has reignited public anger and complicated efforts to secure the funding needed to keep Ukraine’s economy stable.
Despite the challenges, Kyiv has been encouraged in recent weeks by US actions tightening restrictions on Russia’s oil industry—the Kremlin’s main source of funding for the war. Ukraine’s long-range drone and missile strikes have also caused significant damage to Russian energy operations.