US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has firmly stated that the contentious 28-point peace proposal for Ukraine was crafted by the United States.
He strongly defended the US’s role in creating the plan, countering assertions from some senators who described it as resembling a ‘Russian wish list.’
“While it incorporates feedback from the Russian side, it also includes past and ongoing contributions from Ukraine,” Rubio emphasized.
Former President Donald Trump noted that the proposal is “far from” the “final offer” as Western leaders hurried to sync their strategies during a tense G20 summit in South Africa.
This plan, developed collaboratively by the Trump administration and the Kremlin, has raised concerns among European nations, as it appears to pressure Ukraine into accepting conditions that align with Moscow’s long-standing demands.
In a collective statement released on Saturday, European and other Western leaders cautiously recognized that the document might serve as a foundation for peace talks but emphasized that it would necessitate “further refinement.”
Washington has strongly denied accusations that it echoes Russian objectives.
A crisis meeting has now been hastily arranged in Geneva on Sunday, where national security advisers from the E3 – France, Britain and Germany – will convene with EU, US and Ukrainian officials for urgent talks on the proposal.
Sir Keir Starmer has backed both Ukraine and Donald Trump after a call with Volodymyr Zelensky about a US-backed peace plan
Pictured left to right: European Council President Antonio Costa, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, France’s President Emmanuel Macron and Finland’s President Alexander Stubb
Ahead of the gathering, Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a video address insisting that Ukraine’s negotiators ‘know how to protect Ukrainian national interests and exactly what is needed to prevent Russia from carrying out’ another invasion.
‘Real peace is always based on security and justice,’ he said.
The 28-point blueprint closely mirrors positions repeatedly put forward by the Kremlin over nearly four years of full-scale war, including demands that Ukraine hand over territory and drastically reduce the size of its armed forces.
Trump has insisted Kyiv respond by Thursday, though he hinted an extension may be possible.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, he dismissed suggestions the proposal was final.
He said: ‘We’d like to get the peace, it should’ve happened a long time ago. The Ukraine war with Russia should’ve never happened. If I was president, it would have never happened. We’re trying to get it ended. One way or another, we have to get it ended.’
Leaders across Europe have been trying to strike a careful balance — praising Trump’s efforts to end the war while acknowledging that key parts of the plan are unacceptable to Kyiv.
‘There are many things that cannot simply be an American proposal, which requires broader consultation,’ Emmanuel Macron warned on the sidelines of the G20, saying any deal must deliver peace for Ukrainians and ‘security for all Europeans’.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the stakes for Europe, warning of the wider fallout should Kyiv be forced into defeat.
‘If Ukraine loses this war and possibly collapses, it will have an impact on European politics as a whole, on the entire European continent. And that is why we are so committed to this issue,’ he said.
‘There is currently an opportunity to end this war, but we are still quite a long way from a good outcome for everyone.’
It comes as residents in Moscow were hit with power blackouts and heating disruption for the first time today after a Ukrainian strike
A dramatic swarm of drones exploded the Lenin Shatura thermal plant – mostly fired by gas – as temperatures dipped below freezing point
Pro-Kremlin media outlet Readovka and others admitted that power and heating disruptions were felt by residents
Keir Starmer, speaking in Johannesburg, voiced particular concern over proposed limits on Ukraine’s armed forces.
‘We are concerned about [caps on military], because it’s fundamental that Ukraine has to be able to defend itself if there’s a ceasefire.’
He said the plan ‘requires additional work’, adding: ‘And that’s why there’s been the agreement that in Geneva tomorrow [Sunday], you’ll have senior US personnel, you’ll have European NSAs [national security advisers], including the UK NSA, and obviously Ukrainians there to work further on the draft.’
Starmer has spoken directly with Trump about the matter and is expected to speak with him again on Sunday, Downing Street said.
It comes as residents in Moscow were hit with power blackouts and heating disruption for the first time today after a Ukrainian strike.
A dramatic swarm of drones exploded the Lenin Shatura thermal plant – mostly fired by gas – as temperatures dipped below freezing point.
‘A fire broke out at the facility,’ admitted regional governor Andrey Vorobyov, referring to the Shatura strike.
He admitted emergency workers scrambled to bring in ‘backup’ power and heating supplies after the damage to the power plant, east of Moscow.
Pro-Kremlin media outlet Readovka and others admitted that power and heating disruptions were felt by residents – a rare event near the Russian capital but regular for Ukrainians after constant strikes by Putin’s forces.
Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin admitted the capital was under attack by Ukrainian drones with at least three shot down.
