EditU.S. and Ukraine to continue work on ‘refined’ peace plan as Thursday’s deadline looms
No specifics have been provided, while a counter-proposal, drafted by Britain, France and Germany was made public
The United States and Ukraine are set to continue work on Monday on a plan to end the war with Russia after agreeing to modify an earlier proposal that was widely seen as too favourable to Moscow.
The two sides said in a joint statement they had drafted a “refined peace framework” after talks in Geneva on Sunday, although they did not provide specifics.
The White House separately said the Ukrainian delegation had told them it “reflects their national interests” and “addresses their core strategic requirements,” although Kyiv did not issue a statement of its own.
It was not clear how the updated plan would handle a host of issues, including how to guarantee Ukraine’s security against ongoing threats from Russia. The United States and Ukraine said they would continue “intensive work” ahead of a Thursday deadline, although U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the American delegation during the talks, was flying back to Washington late on Sunday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has kept up the pressure on Ukraine to reach a deal. On Sunday, he said Ukraine had shown “zero gratitude” for American efforts over the war, prompting Ukrainian officials to emphasize their thanks for Trump’s support.
Trump previously set a Thursday deadline for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a peace plan, but Rubio said on Sunday that deadline might not be set in stone.
Zelenskyy could travel to the United States as soon as this week to discuss the most sensitive aspects of the plan with Trump, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The initial 28-point proposal put forth by the United States last week called on Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military and abandon its ambitions to join NATO. Those terms would amount to capitulation for many Ukrainians after nearly four years of fighting in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
The original plan came as a surprise to U.S. officials across the administration, and two sources said it was crafted at an October meeting in Miami that included special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian envoy who is under U.S. sanctions.
European nations issue counter-proposal
Democratic lawmakers have criticized it as essentially a Russian wish list, but Rubio has insisted that Washington authored the plan with input from both sides in the war.
European allies said they were not involved in crafting the original plan, and they released a counter-proposal on Sunday that would ease some of the proposed territorial concessions and include a NATO-style security guarantee from the United States for Ukraine if it is attacked.
The counter-proposal, drafted by Europe’s E3 powers of Britain, France and Germany, takes the U.S. plan as its basis but then goes through it point by point with suggested changes and deletions.
The text is as follows:
- Ukraine’s sovereignty to be reconfirmed.
- There will be a total and complete non-aggression agreement reached between Russia and Ukraine
- (Point 3 of U.S. plan is deleted. A draft of that plan seen by Reuters said: “There will be the expectation that Russia will not invade its neighbours and NATO will not expand further.”)
- After a peace agreement is signed, a dialogue between Russia and NATO will convene to address all security concerns and create a de-escalatory environment to ensure global security and increase the opportunity for connectivity and future economic opportunity.
- Ukraine will receive robust Security Guarantees
- Size of Ukraine military to be capped at 800,000 in peacetime.
- Ukraine joining NATO depends on consensus of NATO members, which does not exist.e and NATO. All ambiguities from the last 30 years will be resolved.
- NATO agrees not to permanently station troops under its command in Ukraine in peacetime.
- NATO fighter jets will be stationed in Poland
- US guarantee that mirrors Article 5 – a. US to receive compensation for the guarantee; b. If Ukraine invades Russia, it forfeits the guarantee; c. If Russia invades Ukraine, in addition to a robust coordinated military response, all global sanctions will be restored and any kind of recognition for the new territory and all other benefits from this agreement will be withdrawn.
- Ukraine is eligible for EU membership and will get short-term preferred market access to Europe while this is being evaluated
- Robust Global Redevelopment Package for Ukraine including but not limited to: a. Creation of Ukraine Development fund to invest in high growth industries including technology, data centres and Al efforts; b. The United States will partner with Ukraine to jointly restore, grow, modernize and operate Ukraine’s gas infrastructure, which includes its pipeline and storage facilities; c. A joint effort to redevelop areas impacted by the war to restore, redevelop and modernize cities and residential areas; d. Infrastructure development; e. Mineral and natural resource extraction; f. A special financing package will be developed by the World Bank to provide financing to accelerate these efforts.
- Russia to be progressively re-integrated into the global economy- a. Sanction relief will be discussed and agreed upon in phases and on a case-by-case basis.; b. The United States will enter into a long-term Economic Cooperation Agreement to pursue mutual development in the areas of energy, natural resources, infrastructure, AI, datacenters, rare earths, joint projects in the Arctic, as well as various other mutually beneficial corporate opportunities; c. Russia to be invited back into the G8.
- Ukraine will be fully reconstructed and compensated financially, including through Russian sovereign assets that will remain frozen until Russia compensates damage to Ukraine.
- A joint Security taskforce will be established with the participation of US, Ukraine, Russia and the Europeans to promote and enforce all of the provisions of this agreement
- Russia will legislatively enshrine a non-aggression policy towards Europe and Ukraine
- The United States and Russia agree to extend nuclear non-proliferation and control treaties, including Fair Start
- Ukraine agrees to remain a non-nuclear state under the NPT
- The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant will be restarted under supervision of the IAEA, and the produced power shall be shared equitably in a 50-50 split between Russia and Ukraine.
- Ukraine will adopt EU rules on religious tolerance and the protection of linguistic minorities.
- Territories – Ukraine commits not to recover its occupied sovereign territory through military means. Negotiations on territorial swaps will start from the Line of Contact.
- Once future territorial arrangements have been agreed, both the Russian Federation and Ukraine undertake not to change these arrangements by force. Any security guarantees will not apply if there is a breach of this obligation
- Russia shall not obstruct Ukraine’s use of the Dnieper River for purposes of commercial activities, and agreements will be reached for grain shipments to move freely through the Black Sea
- A humanitarian committee will be established to resolve open issues: a. All remaining prisoners and bodies will be exchanged on the principle of All for All; b. All civilian detainees and hostages will be returned, including children; c. There will be a family reunification program; d. Provisions will be made to address the suffering of victims from the conflict.
- Ukraine will hold elections as soon as possible after the signing of the peace agreement.
- Provision will be made to address the suffering of victims of the conflict.
- This agreement will be legally binding. Its implementation will be monitored and guaranteed by a Board of Peace, chaired by President Donald J. Trump. There will be penalties for violation.
- Upon all sides agreeing to this memorandum, a ceasefire will be immediately effective upon both parties withdrawing to the agreed upon points for the implementation of the agreement to begin. Ceasefire modalities, including monitoring, will be agreed by both parties under US supervision.
The Geneva talks come as Russia has slowly gained ground in some regions, while Ukraine’s power and gas facilities have been pummeled by drone and missile attacks, leaving millions of people without water, heating and power for hours each day.
Zelenskyy has also been under pressure at home, as a major corruption scandal has ensnared some of his ministers, stirring fresh anger at pervasive graft. That has complicated the country’s efforts to secure funding to keep its economy afloat.
Kyiv had taken heart in recent weeks after the United States tightened on Russia’s oil sector, the main source of funding for the war, while its own long-range drone and missile strikes have caused considerable damage to the industry.
With Reuters, edited by g.g.
Caption: The Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak (L), and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R), talk to the press as their consultations continue on the Trump peace plan at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, 23 November 2025EPA/MARTIAL TREZZINI
Updated: November 24, 2025 - 07:25
