US insists it has peace plan

U.S. Secretary of State Rubio insists that a proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine that is widely seen as beneficial to Russia was “made by the United States.”

Earlier, a group of senators said Rubio told them the draft – which one senator called Russia’s “wish list” – did not reflect Washington’s position.

Rubio later distanced himself from the claims and said the plan came from the United States and was “based on input from Russia and Ukraine.”

He intervened as he flew to Geneva, Switzerland, for talks with Ukrainian and European security officials about the plan, which US President Donald Trump has called on Kyiv to agree to quickly.

Ukraine’s European allies have raised objections to key provisions in the draft, which has not yet been made public but Details of which have been widely leaked.

These include Ukraine agreeing to withdraw its troops from eastern regions that Russia cannot occupy by force and to limit the size of its armed forces.

On Saturday, Republican Senator Mike Rounds said Rubio had told a group of lawmakers that the draft plan was not U.S. policy.

“What (Rubio) told us is that this is not an American proposal,” he said during a speech at the Halifax Security Forum.

Rounds said he had been assured that the plan was presented to Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy for foreign diplomacy abroad, by “someone on behalf of Russia.” The senator continued: “This is not our proposal. This is not our peace plan.”

Shortly after, State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said Rounds’ account of his conversations with Rubio was “blatantly false.”

He wrote on

Rubio later posted on social media: “The peace proposal was drafted by the United States. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”

On Saturday, Trump, who has made reaching a deal to end the conflict a core foreign policy goal of his second term, said the plan did not represent a “final offer” to Ukraine after previously saying President Zelensky “had to” approve it.

When details of the 28-point plan first emerged, Zelensky warned that Russia faced “one of the most difficult moments in our history” due to US pressure to accept the plan, while Russian President Vladimir Putin said the plan could form the “basis” of a deal.

Trump had previously given Ukraine until Thursday to approve the proposal, but said the deadline could be extended if talks progressed.

Rubio and Witkov will both attend Sunday’s Geneva meeting along with security officials from Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine.

Ukraine’s allies have spoken out against the plan, saying in a joint statement at the G20 summit in South Africa that it “will leave Ukraine vulnerable to attack.”

The plan contains “elements necessary for a just and lasting peace” but “requires additional work,” the statement said, citing concerns about border changes and Ukraine’s troop cap.

The statement was signed by the leaders of Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and Norway. Two senior EU officials were also among the signatories.

French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at a rally in Johannesburg, said the plan “cannot be just a US proposal”, adding that any deal must guarantee the security of “all Europeans”.

“We are still a long way from achieving good results for everyone,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Zelensky and Trump on Saturday. On the 10th, he stated that he briefed the US President on the status of European negotiations on the plan.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Ukraine has since relied heavily on U.S.-made weapons.

In its current form, the plan would see Ukrainian forces withdraw from eastern Donetsk, which it currently controls, and withdraw from Russia’s de facto control of Donetsk, as well as the neighboring Luhansk region and the southern part of the Crimean peninsula that was annexed by Russia in 2014.

The plan also includes freezing borders along current fronts in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions of southern Ukraine. Both areas are partially occupied by Russia.

The plan said Kyiv would receive “reliable security guarantees” but gave no details. The document said Russia was “not expected” to invade its neighbors and that NATO would not expand further.

On Saturday, Zelensky announced that his chief of staff, Andrei Yermak, would lead a Ukrainian negotiating team on future peace deal talks, including any that might involve Russia.

“Our representatives know how to defend Ukraine’s national interests and what measures must be taken to prevent a third Russian invasion, another strike against Ukraine,” the president said in a video statement posted on social media.