Washington and Kyiv agree on updated peace framework after Geneva talks

Washington and Kyiv agree on updated peace framework after Geneva talks
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Geneva, Switzerland, 23 November, 2025
Reuters

The United States and Ukraine have agreed on a revised peace framework to end the war with Russia, saying talks in Geneva produced significant progress toward an updated plan acceptable to both sides, they announced on Sunday.

The joint statement did not provide details of the revised framework, but U.S. officials said it incorporates Ukraine’s core demands, including sovereignty, security guarantees, economic recovery and protection of critical infrastructure. 

The White House, however, said Ukrainian negotiators told U.S. officials the revised version “reflects their national interests” and “addresses their core strategic requirements,” though Ukraine itself issued no separate statement.

It remains unclear how the refinements address key issues such as security guarantees for Ukraine or protection against future Russian aggression. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the American delegation, was returning to Washington late on Sunday but said the deadline set by Trump “might not be set in stone.”

Trump has continued to pressure Ukraine to accept a deal, saying on Sunday that Kyiv had shown “zero gratitude” for U.S. support — comments that prompted Ukrainian officials to publicly restate their thanks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could travel to the United States as early as this week to discuss the most sensitive points directly with Trump, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The original plan 

The initial 28-point proposal drafted by U.S. officials last week called for Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military and abandon its ambition to join NATO, terms many Ukrainians considered tantamount to capitulation after nearly four years of war.

The plan surprised officials across the administration, and sources say it was shaped at an October meeting in Miami attended by special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and sanctioned Russian emissary Kirill Dmitriev.

Democratic lawmakers denounced the original draft as resembling a “Russian wish list,” though Rubio insisted it was a U.S.-written document informed by input from “both sides of the conflict.”

European counter-proposal 

European governments, who said they were not consulted on the initial text, issued their own counter-proposal on Sunday.

It would soften some of the territorial concessions and add a U.S.-backed security guarantee modelled on NATO’s Article 5 should Ukraine face renewed attack.

The situation on the ground 

The negotiations come as Russia continues to make incremental gains in parts of the front line. Ukrainian power and gas infrastructure has been battered by drone and missile strikes, leaving millions facing hours-long outages.

Zelenskyy is also managing political pressure at home, with a major corruption scandal involving some ministers fuelling public anger. Ukraine’s fiscal outlook remains fragile as it seeks additional international funding.

Still, Kyiv has taken encouragement from recent U.S. sanctions tightening on Russia’s oil sector, a key revenue source for the Kremlin, and from its own long-range strikes that have damaged Russian energy facilities.

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