Tusk, a vocal advocate for Ukraine's sovereignty since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, took to X on Sunday to outline Poland's position. "Together with the leaders of Europe, Canada, and Japan, we have declared our readiness to work on the 28-point plan despite some reservations," Tusk wrote. He added a caveat that has amplified doubts across the continent: "However, before we start our work, it would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created."
The plan's authorship has become a flashpoint. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, en route to Geneva for high-stakes talks, insisted on X that the document was authored by the United States and positioned as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. He emphasized its balanced roots: "It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine." Rubio's defense came hours after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators publicly contradicted him, claiming he privately described the plan during a Saturday conference call as a Russian "wish list" rather than an official American blueprint. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota recounted Rubio's words at the Halifax International Security Forum: "He made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our representatives. It is not our recommendation, it is not our peace plan." Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine echoed this, calling it "essentially the wish list of the Russians," while Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen labeled it "a Russian proposal."
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott swiftly dismissed the senators' accounts as blatantly false, reiterating that Rubio and Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, had collaborated on the draft over the past month with contributions from both Moscow and Kyiv. The conflicting narratives have sown confusion in Washington, where even some Trump allies have decried the plan as raising serious concerns about its viability for lasting peace. Critics point to a secretive October meeting in Miami between Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and sanctioned Russian banker Kirill Dmitriev as the plan's likely genesis, a session that reportedly bypassed the State Department.
European leaders, convening on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, issued a joint statement Saturday that tempered enthusiasm with firm red lines. Signed by the presidents of the European Council and Commission, along with leaders from Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, Canada, and Japan, the communiqué acknowledged the draft's important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace but insisted it will require additional work. The group stressed: "We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force," directly challenging provisions that would cede Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, and parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to Russia—territories Moscow claims but has not fully controlled militarily. They also expressed concern over proposed limits on Ukraine's army, which cap Kyiv's forces at 150,000 active personnel—half the current size—potentially leaving it vulnerable to future attack.
The statement underscored that any elements affecting the EU or NATO, such as barring Ukrainian NATO accession or restricting European troop deployments, would demand institutional consent. French President Emmanuel Macron elaborated to reporters: "There are many things that cannot simply be an American proposal, which requires broader consultation." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added that peace must secure "Ukraine's consent and also our consent, the European consent, because it is a war on the European continent." European Council President António Costa announced a special EU summit on Ukraine for Monday in Luanda, Angola, to forge a unified counter-proposal, potentially involving reparations from frozen Russian assets—estimated at $300 billion globally—and enhanced security guarantees modeled on NATO's Article 5.
At the epicenter is Zelenskyy, who authorized a delegation to Geneva for Sunday's talks but framed the dilemma in stark terms during a national address Friday. "Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice: either the loss of our dignity or the risk of losing a key partner," he said, alluding to threats from U.S. officials to halt intelligence sharing and arms sales if Kyiv balks. "Either the difficult 28 points or an extremely hard winter, the hardest yet and the dangers that follow," Zelenskyy continued, urging national unity amid reports of intensified Russian shelling, including a missile strike on Ternopil that killed a child. The delegation, led by Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's chief of staff, will join Rubio, Witkoff, and U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, with European envoys from France, Germany, and the UK in attendance to bolster Kyiv's leverage.
President Donald Trump, speaking to Fox News Radio Friday, set the Thanksgiving deadline—November 27—for Zelenskyy's reply, calling it an appropriate time to expedite an end to the conflict he claims should have never happened under his prior watch. In a White House press gaggle Saturday, Trump softened slightly, insisting the plan is not my final offer and open to tweaks, though he warned: "At some point, he's going to have to accept something." The blueprint outlines 28 provisions: Ukraine cedes occupied territories de facto to Russia, freezes current frontlines, demilitarizes to pre-2022 levels, forgoes NATO membership indefinitely, and recognizes Russian as an official language in certain regions. In exchange, Moscow pledges non-aggression, Russia rejoins the G8, and a $200 billion U.S.-led reconstruction fund—bolstered by $100 billion from Europe—targets infrastructure, tech hubs, and energy modernization, with frozen Russian assets partially redirected.
Russia's response has been guardedly positive. President Vladimir Putin, addressing his security council Friday, said the plan could form the basis of a final peace settlement via existing channels with Washington, though details remain undiscussed. Moscow frames its February 2022 "special military operation" as essential for Ukraine's "denazification" and "demilitarization," demands echoed in the plan's language provisions and NATO ban. Yet, with Ukrainian drones striking Moscow overnight and Russian shelling injuring at least 14 in Dnipro, the ceasefire feels distant.
The Geneva meeting, described by one EU diplomat as a moment of diplomatic jeopardy, risks fracturing the Western alliance if concessions favor aggression over sovereignty. As Tusk noted in a follow-up call with Zelenskyy, all partners must be fully informed. With the deadline looming, the plan's fate—and Ukraine's—hangs on whether revisions can bridge the chasm between U.S. pragmatism and European principles. Failure could embolden Putin, while success might redefine post-war Europe, contingent on verifiable enforcement mechanisms like a Trump-chaired "Board of Peace."
This saga underscores the invasion's toll: over 500,000 casualties, millions displaced, and $500 billion in damages, per UN estimates. As Zelenskyy told European leaders Saturday, real peace is always based on guaranteed security and justice. With envoys converging in Switzerland, the world watches whether diplomacy can prevail over division.
