Geneva, Switzerland – Top envoys from Ukraine and key European nations convened in Geneva on Sunday, November 23, 2025, for high-stakes discussions aimed at reshaping U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial proposal to end Russia's nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine. The hastily arranged talks, held at the U.S. Permanent Mission, brought together Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak, national security advisers from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, and a high-level American delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. As the war enters its grueling fourth year, with Russian forces advancing in eastern Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions, these negotiations represent a critical juncture in the diplomatic scramble to avert further escalation and secure a sustainable ceasefire.
The 28-point U.S.-drafted blueprint, leaked earlier this week, has ignited fierce debate across Western capitals. It calls for Ukraine to cede significant territory in the east—including areas not currently under Russian control—to Moscow, cap the size of its armed forces, renounce NATO membership aspirations, and accept vague "robust security guarantees" in exchange for an immediate halt to hostilities. Critics, including Ukrainian officials and European diplomats, decry it as a capitulation that echoes Kremlin demands from early 2022 Istanbul talks, potentially undermining Kyiv's sovereignty and emboldening Russian President Vladimir Putin. The plan's emergence follows months of quiet U.S.-Russia backchanneling, with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly playing a pivotal role in its formulation, alongside input from Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov.
Yermak, heading the Ukrainian contingent, struck an optimistic yet cautious tone in a social media update shortly after the initial European huddle. "We held our first meeting with the national security advisers from the U.K., France, and Germany," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "The next meeting is with the U.S. delegation. We are in a very constructive mood. We continue working together to achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine." This alliance-building reflects a broader European strategy to present a united front, countering perceptions that the Trump administration's haste—coupled with a Thursday deadline for Kyiv's acceptance—prioritizes a quick deal over equitable terms.
Rubio arrived in Geneva alongside Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Witkoff, the real estate developer-turned-diplomat whom Trump tasked with Middle East and Ukraine portfolios earlier this year. The U.S. side insists the document is a starting point, not a final offer, with Rubio emphasizing on X that it was "authored by the U.S." after consultations. However, this claim faced immediate pushback from U.S. lawmakers. A bipartisan group of senators, including Democrats Mark Warner and Jeanne Shaheen, and Republicans Mike Rounds and Angus King, revealed that Rubio had privately briefed them en route to Geneva, describing the plan as "not the administration's position" but "essentially the wish-list of the Russians."
In an appearance on ABC's "This Week," Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, lambasted the proposal as "almost a series of Russian talking points" that has left Europeans "feeling like they've been totally left high and dry," prompting "ferocious pushback." He expressed hope that Trump, facing mounting domestic and allied criticism, would "come back and be a bit more reasonable," warning that the plan's one-sided nature risks "blowing up in his face." Republican Rep. Michael McCaul echoed these concerns, advising Ukraine against signing, calling it a document that "cedes too much ground to Putin." The internal U.S. discord underscores the plan's precarious standing, with sources indicating Rubio's mid-flight clarifications were an attempt to distance the administration from its more punitive elements, such as territorial concessions and military caps seen as "limitations on sovereignty" by French officials.
From Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy monitored the proceedings closely, posting on Telegram that a "positive result is needed for all of us." He highlighted ongoing "close contact" among Ukrainian, American, and European teams, stressing the imperative to "stop the bloodshed and guarantee that the war will not be reignited." In a subsequent update, Zelenskyy noted preliminary feedback from Geneva indicated U.S. willingness to incorporate "a number of elements based on the Ukrainian vision and critically important for Ukraine’s national interests," though he refrained from specifics. This tempered optimism aligns with Umerov's assessment from the delegation: "Although the peace plan proposals are still being finalized, they include many Ukrainian priorities." Umerov, who earlier denied U.S. claims of his direct involvement in drafting, emphasized the document's evolving nature and the U.S.'s "attentive attitude" to Kyiv's input.
Trump, meanwhile, amplified transatlantic frictions with a blistering Truth Social post hours before the talks commenced. "With strong and proper U.S. and Ukrainian LEADERSHIP, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would have NEVER HAPPENED," he wrote, lamenting the conflict as one he "inherited" from the Biden era. He accused Ukraine's "LEADERSHIP" of expressing "ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS," while slamming Europe for "CONTINUING TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA" despite U.S. largesse in weapons and aid. The outburst, which notably omitted criticism of Moscow, drew swift rebuke from Ukrainian officials. Umerov countered that Kyiv "appreciates our American partners," framing the talks as a pathway to "progress today on the deal." European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, dismissed the Thursday deadline as unrealistic, stating on the G20 sidelines in Johannesburg, "Right now, I'm not yet convinced we're going to get the solution President Trump wants in the next few days."
The Geneva sessions occur against a backdrop of unrelenting battlefield intensity. Russian strikes last week killed 34 civilians in Ternopil—the deadliest on non-combatants this year—while Moscow claimed advances in three Donetsk villages. Ukraine, reliant on U.S. intelligence and munitions, faces a stark dilemma: accept concessions risking long-term vulnerability or prolong a war draining resources amid domestic corruption scandals ensnaring Zelenskyy's inner circle. Zelenskyy has vowed no territorial giveaways, telling parliamentarians the choice is between "losing dignity or losing a key partner."
Broader diplomatic ripples extend beyond Geneva. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a Monday phone call with Putin to revive the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, which facilitated 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian exports before collapsing in 2023 over unfulfilled Russian demands for fertilizer and food export easements. "We had a grain corridor endeavor to open the path to peace. Unfortunately, we were only partially able to succeed. Tomorrow, I will be asking Putin to revisit the endeavor," Erdogan said post-G20, following his recent Ankara summit with Zelenskyy. Ankara's mediation bid, leveraging Erdogan's rapport with both leaders, could complement Geneva by addressing food security—a global flashpoint exacerbated by the war's blockade of Odessa ports.
Analysts view these maneuvers as a high-wire act for Trump, whose "America First" ethos prioritizes ending U.S. involvement but risks alienating NATO allies and bolstering Putin at a time when Russia endures over 600,000 casualties. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a joint call with Zelenskyy and Merz, reaffirmed "unchanged and full support" for a "just peace," coordinating E3 (UK-France-Germany) input to bolster Ukraine's leverage. As sessions extend into the evening, with no immediate breakthroughs reported, the onus falls on Rubio's team to bridge divides. Failure could fracture Western unity, prolonging a conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and reshaped global alliances.
Zelenskyy, in a nod to multilateralism, praised the "activation of diplomacy" and outlined plans for a "Coalition of the Willing" summit, signaling Kyiv's intent to rally broader support. "The work must be as substantive as possible," he posted on X, underscoring the stakes for a nation whose fate hangs in the balance of these neutral Swiss halls. With Erdogan's call looming and potential U.S.-Russia sidelines next, the path to peace remains fraught, but Sunday's engagements mark a tentative step toward de-escalation in a war that shows no signs of abating without compromise.
