US and Ukrainian officials reported progress in efforts to end the war with Russia after talks in Geneva, but provided no details on how some deep disagreements between Moscow and Kyiv were to be resolved.
Speaking to reporters after a day of negotiations with Ukrainian and European officials, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said a “tremendous” amount of progress had been made.
“I feel very optimistic that we’re going to get there in a very reasonable period of time,” he added.
Rubio said on Sunday that talks would continue. “I don’t want to declare victory or finality here. There’s still some work to be done,” he said.
The secretary of state would not say if any breakthroughs had been made on some of the more contentious points of the 28-point plan presented to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, including a demand that Kyiv surrender territory in the Donbas region that remains under its control.
The plan also stipulates a ban on Ukrainian membership of Nato and a cap on the size of the country’s military.
The final text of the agreement would need sign-off from Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump before being sent to Moscow, Rubio said.
A joint statement issued by the US and Ukraine described the talks as “constructive, focused, and respectful”.
“The discussions showed meaningful progress toward aligning positions and identifying clear next steps. They reaffirmed that any future agreement must fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty and deliver a sustainable and just peace,” it said.
The White House has piled pressure on Ukraine and its allies to force them into a deal with Moscow, triggering concern in European capitals and in Washington that it was acquiescing to Russia’s demands.
After speaking with Zelenskyy on Monday morning, Finnish president Alexander Stubb described the negotiations in Geneva as a “step forward” but that major issues “remain to be resolved”.
He added that any decisions falling under the EU or Nato’s remit would be discussed “in a separate track”.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesperson, said on Monday that Moscow had not received an official summary from the Geneva talks. He added that there were no plans for US and Russian officials to meet this week.
The negotiations in Geneva capped a weekend of chaotic diplomacy. After pressing Ukraine to accept the deal by Thursday, Trump said the plan was not America’s “final offer”. Rubio then reportedly sought to distance Washington from the proposal, before insisting hours later the US had authored it.
National security advisers from France, Germany, the UK and EU met in Geneva on Sunday alongside US and Ukrainian counterparts, including Rubio, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff — one of the authors of the plan — and US army secretary Daniel Driscoll, a close ally of US vice-president JD Vance.
They met Ukraine’s delegation — led by Andriy Yermak, head of Zelenskyy’s office, and the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council Rustem Umerov — before being joined by European representatives.
The push by the US to end the conflict hit European defence shares on Monday, with the Stoxx aerospace and defence index falling 1.1 per cent, adding to a 3 per cent decline on Friday.
Since the plan was presented to Zelenskyy last week, Kyiv’s European allies have called for “additional work” on the proposal.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said three elements were critical.
“First, borders cannot be changed by force. Second, as a sovereign nation there cannot be limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces [and] third, the centrality of the European Union in securing peace for Ukraine must be fully reflected.”
The 28-point plan crossed several long-standing Ukrainian red lines, including handing over the rest of Donetsk province, which Russia has been unable to seize since it began its offensive there in 2014.
One European official spoke of fears that Trump could withdraw US support from Ukraine in frustration, leaving Zelenskyy and his country dangerously exposed. “That’s a scenario we are obviously planning for,” they said.
European diplomats expect further meetings in the coming week between France, Germany and the UK. Other possible participants include leaders of Poland, Finland and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte.
“We are trying to come up with something that flies as a counter-offer,” the European diplomat said.
Republican lawmakers are split over the plan. Several senators — including former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and staunch Trump ally Lindsey Graham — have publicly criticised it.
“Vladimir Putin is a murderer, a rapist and an assassin and we should not do anything that makes him feel like he has a win here,” said Republican senator Thom Tillis, speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum. “Any agreement has to be an agreement that the people of Ukraine want.”
However, Republican senator Eric Schmitt defended Trump’s “realist” approach.
Additional reporting by Laura Pitel and Courtney Weaver in Berlin and George Parker in London
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