US insists it authored peace plan

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that the proposed plan to end the Ukraine war, which is seen as favoring Russia, was “written by the US”.

This statement came after a group of senators said Rubio told them that the draft, which he described as Russia’s “wish list”, did not reflect Washington’s position.

Rubio later distanced himself from those claims, saying the plan came from the United States and was “based on data” from both Russia and Ukraine.

His intervention came as he flew to Geneva, Switzerland, to meet with Ukrainian and European security officials about the plan, which US President Donald Trump called on Kiev to quickly adopt.

Ukraine’s allies in Europe have withdrawn key provisions from the draft, which has not yet been made public but whose details have been widely leaked.

This includes Ukraine agreeing to withdraw its troops from eastern regions that Russia has not been able to take by force and to limit the size of its armed forces.

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

Speaking at the Halifax Security Forum he said: “What [Rubio] “He told us this was not America’s proposal.”

Rounds said he was assured that the plan had been presented to Steve Witkoff, who served as Trump’s diplomatic envoy overseas, by “someone representing Russia.” The senator continued: “This is not our recommendation. This is not our peace plan.”

Shortly thereafter, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Rounds’ account of his call with Rubio was “patently false.”

“As Secretary Rubio and the entire Administration have consistently maintained, this plan was written by the United States with input from both Russians and Ukrainians,” he wrote of X.

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

On Saturday, Trump, who has made securing a deal to end the conflict a central foreign policy goal in his second term, said the plan did not represent a “final proposal” for Ukraine and earlier said President Volodymyr Zelensky “must approve” it.

When details of the 28-point plan first emerged, Zelensky warned that his country was facing “one of the most difficult moments in our history” due to US pressure to accept the plan; Russian President Vladimir Putin said this could form the “basis” of an agreement.

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

Both Rubio and Witkoff will attend the Geneva meeting on Sunday along with security officials from Britain, France and Germany, as well as Ukraine.

Ukraine’s allies publicly opposed the plan in a joint statement issued at the G20 summit in South Africa, saying it would “leave Ukraine vulnerable to attack.”

He said the plan included elements “necessary for a just and lasting peace” but would “require additional study,” citing border changes and concerns about the Ukrainian military’s borders.

The declaration 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 among the signatories.

Speaking at the meeting in Johannesburg, French President Emmanuel Macron said the plan “cannot simply be an American proposal”, adding that any agreement must also guarantee security for “all Europeans”.

“We are still quite far from a good outcome for everyone,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met with both Zelensky and Trump on Saturday. Number 10 said he had briefed the US president on European talks about the plan.

Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after which Ukraine became heavily dependent on US-made weapons.

In its current form, the plan calls for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the part of the eastern Donetsk region they currently control, leaving Donetsk de facto controlled by Russia, as well as the neighboring Luhansk region and the southern Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

The plan also includes freezing the borders of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and Zaporizhia regions along existing battle lines. Both regions are partially occupied by Russia.

The plan states that Kiev will receive “reliable security guarantees” but no details are given. The document states that it is “expected” that Russia will not invade its neighbors and that NATO will not expand further.

On Saturday, Zelensky announced that his leader Andriy Yermak would lead Ukraine’s negotiating team in future talks on a peace deal, including those that could include Russia.

“Our representatives know how to defend Ukraine’s national interests and exactly what needs to be done to prevent Russia from launching a third attack, another attack on Ukraine,” the president said in a video statement posted on social media. he said.