The controversial US plan to end the Ukraine war would be largely positive for the aggressor Russia – but who penned the 28-point concept? US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and several senators publicly contradict each other on the question of the authorship of the peace plan.
Until now, the US government had presented the plan as its own draft, although critics suspected that it had largely come from Russia, given its bias in favor of Moscow. On Saturday (local time), two US senators reported, citing a telephone conversation with Secretary of State Rubio, that the plan attributed to Washington had not been developed by the United States.
A short time later, the minister contradicted them on Platform X and emphasized that the USA was the originator of the plan. This serves “as a solid framework for the ongoing negotiations”. It was created by the USA and was based on “suggestions from the Russian side, but also on previous and current contributions from Ukraine,” wrote Rubio.
Senators present the situation differently
Just a few hours earlier, several senators appeared before the press at a security forum in Halifax, Canada, to report on their conversation with Rubio. Republican Senator Mike Rounds said about the peace plan that it had been brought to the US government. “It’s not our recommendation, it’s not our peace plan,” he said, citing Rubio.
According to Senator Angus King, the 28-point plan is “essentially the Russians’ wish list.” The draft is a “guide to narrowing down the points of contention between Ukraine and Russia,” he said. Now we should work towards a peace “that respects the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, does not reward aggression and offers appropriate security guarantees”.
According to Senator Rounds, an unnamed person presented the plan to US special envoy Steve Witkoff. The person should be viewed as a representative of Russia. Rounds added that the U.S. government has not made the plan public. “It was leaked,” he continued, referring to the media reports that recently made the plan known.
Consultations in Geneva with Ukraine and allies
According to Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Rubio spoke to them while he was on his way to Geneva. The USA wants to talk there today about the plan with representatives from Germany, France, Great Britain, the EU and Ukraine. The Europeans’ goal is to avert what they see as unacceptable concessions to Russia. The meeting in Geneva takes place at the level of advisors to the heads of state and government – and Rubio is also US President Donald Trump’s national security advisor.
Plan demands major concessions from Ukraine
The draft peace plan has been circulating in the US media for days. The 28 points of the draft are particularly beneficial for Russia. Ukraine, in turn, will be required to make major concessions. The proposal, for example, stipulates that Ukraine should also cede previously defended areas to Russia and limit its military capabilities, for example in terms of long-range weapons and personnel numbers. In addition, NATO should declare a renunciation of any expansion.
Trump is putting pressure on Ukraine
Trump called on Ukraine on Friday to essentially agree to the plan by this Thursday – the US holiday of Thanksgiving. Just one day later, Trump adopted a gentler tone and signaled that it would probably not be the last offer after all.
According to the Washington Post newspaper, the US linked the ultimatum to a threat. If the country attacked by Russia resists the plan, it will have to face the loss of US support, the paper reported.
Senator King rated the Thursday deadline as non-binding. He also said he did not know anything about the fact that the US would stop passing on intelligence information or other support to Ukraine if the country did not agree to the plan within the deadline. Senator Rounds said Secretary Rubio was also not informed of this.
White House: “Good plan for Russia and Ukraine”
US government spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt recently said that Rubio and Witkoff’s plan had been developed over weeks. Both exchanged views with representatives of Russia and Ukraine to understand what each country was willing to do to achieve lasting peace. “It’s a good plan for Russia and for Ukraine,” she said. “And we believe it should be acceptable to both sides.”
