Talks between Ukrainian, US delegations on peace plan begin in Geneva

According to Reuters, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the goal was to craft a plan acceptable to Ukraine which could be used in a negotiation with Russia.

Before heading to Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted on X that Washington had authored the plan after remarks from some U.S. senators suggesting otherwise.

In particular, Senator Angus King said Rubio had told senators the plan was not the administration's position, but "essentially the wish-list of the Russians."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the diplomatic efforts in Geneva, saying that he hoped they would lead to a result.

Earlier, U.S. media reported that the Trump administration had held secret consultations with the Kremlin to develop a new plan to stop the war in Ukraine. Axios reported that the plan consists of 28 points and is divided into four broad categories: peace in Ukraine, security guarantees, security in Europe, and the future of U.S. relations with Russia and Ukraine.

According to media reports, Kyiv is expected to give up Ukrainian-controlled areas of Donbas, reduce its army, and relinquish a significant portion of its weaponry. The plan envisages that the transfer of the remaining territories of Donbas would take place in exchange for U.S. security guarantees for Kyiv and Europe, though the mechanism for these guarantees is not clearly defined.

U.S. lawmakers said that during their conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he described the U.S. peace plan as a "wish list" for the Russians rather than a genuine proposal from Washington. Rubio later denied this, stating that the "peace proposal was authored by the U.S."