US and Ukraine conclusions after Geneva meeting: peace agreement to be updated, with guarantees on respect for sovereignty
The United States and Ukraine announced after Sunday's consultations in Geneva that they had drafted an updated and strengthened peace framework document. According to the parties, any future agreement must presuppose full respect for Ukraine's sovereignty, according to the Office of the President of Ukraine, cited by pravda.ua.
The US and Ukrainian delegations during the Geneva negotiations/FOTO:X
An official statement said the talks were “constructive, focused and conducted in a climate of mutual respect”, highlighting the shared commitment to achieving a lasting and just peace. Both delegations rated the consultations as highly productive and the discussions reportedly demonstrated “substantial progress” in converging positions and establishing next steps.
At the end of the round of negotiations, a new version of the peace framework document was prepared, which is to be analyzed further.
The Ukrainian delegation once again expressed its appreciation to the United States and to President Donald Trump for “firm commitment and sustained efforts to end the war and save human lives.” The parties agreed to continue working on the proposals in the coming days and to maintain a close dialogue with European partners.
Final decisions on the document will be made by Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump.
Zelensky said, after the first reports received from the Ukrainian team, that the American proposals could include a number of elements fundamental to Ukraine's national interests. For his part, the secretary of the National Security Council, Rustem Umerov, a member of the Geneva delegation, stated that the current version of the “peace plan” already reflects most of Ukraine's key priorities.
Meanwhile, the British, German and French media reported that London, Berlin and Paris have drawn up a set of counter-proposals to the American plan, a document that would include 28 points, including limiting the Ukrainian army to 800,000 soldiers and launching negotiations starting from the current front line.
Rubio: The American plan will be modified
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after the meeting in Geneva that “significant progress” had been made on Sunday. He described the negotiations as “the most productive and important” of the entire peace process so far. Rubio stated that the delegations are currently working on adjusting some proposals in an attempt to reduce the remaining differences and reach a formula acceptable to both Washington and Kiev.
The US official said he had not been informed of the European counterproposals, although a meeting was held with the national security advisers of some European states.
Earlier, President Zelenskiy had mentioned that the US proposals could take into account a number of “critical” positions for Ukraine. American sources said, unofficially, that the talks in Geneva represented a step forward.
