US and Ukraine report peace plan progress after Geneva talks

GENEVA

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, second right, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio talk to the press as their consultations continue at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025.

Top U.S. and Ukrainian officials said on Nov. 23 they had made progress toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war but provided scant details after discussing the American proposal to achieve peace that has sparked concerns among many of Washington’s European allies that the plan is too conciliatory to Moscow.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said high-stakes talks in Geneva were “very worthwhile” and constituted the most productive day in “a very long time."

“I feel very optimistic that we can get something done,” Rubio said.

But he offered very little information on what was discussed. He also downplayed a Nov. 27 deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Ukraine to respond to the plan, saying simply that officials want to see fighting stop as soon as possible and that officials could keep negotiating yesterday and beyond. He said that higher-level officials may eventually have to get involved.

“This is a very delicate moment,” Rubio said of what still needed to be worked out. “Some of it is semantics, or language. Others require higher-level decisions and consultations. Others, I think, just need more time to work through.”

The 28-point blueprint drawn up by the U.S. to end the nearly four-year war has sparked alarm in Kiev and European capitals. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs.

The Ukrainian leader has vowed that his people “will always defend” their home.

The proposal acquiesces to many Russian demands that Zelensky has categorically rejected on dozens of occasions, including giving up large pieces of territory.

In a subsequent statement late on Nov. 23, the White House said the Ukrainian delegation “affirmed that all of their principal concerns — security guarantees, long-term economic development, infrastructure protection, freedom of navigation, and political sovereignty — were thoroughly addressed during the meeting.”

It added that the Ukrainians “expressed appreciation for the structured approach taken to incorporate their feedback into each component of the emerging settlement framework.”

The White House said changes made to the proposal now reflect “their national interests" and provide "credible and enforceable mechanisms to safeguard Ukraine’s security in both the near and long term.”

But language of such positive steps came only after concerns about the original, Trump-endorsed deal intensified. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators said Rubio told them on Nov. 22 that the plan had originated with Russia and was actually a “wish list” for Moscow, rather than a serious push for peace.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that he’d spoken to Trump and made clear there were some parts of the plans key European nations could agree on but others where they could not.

“I told him that we are fully in line with Ukraine, that the sovereignty of this country must not be jeopardized,” Merz said in an interview with DW.

Rubio called the U.S. proposal a “living breathing document” that would continue changing. He also made, clear though, that any final product — once it’s ready — will still have to be presented to Moscow: “obviously, the Russians get a vote here.”