Oleg Davygora17:43, 24.11.25

Key issues must be resolved by Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. The US plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine was significantly revised at talks in Geneva: it was reduced from 28 to 19 points, sources familiar with the discussions told the Financial Times .

It was not specified which provisions were removed, but this occurred after Kyiv and its European allies pointed out that a number of the document’s requirements were unacceptable.

European officials expressed optimism that the latest version of the draft no longer mentions a plan to transfer about $100 billion in frozen Russian assets to support U.S. reconstruction efforts,  according to people familiar with the matter , Bloomberg reported.

They also expressed optimism that the Trump administration is engaging with Europe after the initial plan caught Kyiv’s allies off guard.

The Financial Times notes that the US and Ukraine have developed a new 19-point peace treaty, but left the most politically sensitive aspects to the discretion of the two countries’ presidents.

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsya, who was present in the hall as part of the Ukrainian delegation at the important talks in Geneva, stated that the meeting was “tense” but “productive.” Its outcome was a carefully revised draft document that evoked “positive” feelings on both sides.

According to him, after several hours of painstaking negotiations that nearly collapsed before they even began, US and Ukrainian representatives reached agreements on a number of issues, but “bracketed” the most contentious points, including territorial issues and relations between NATO, Russia, and the US, which were to be resolved by Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky.

It is noted that the Ukrainians stated that they were “not authorized” to make decisions on territorial issues, in particular on the cession of land, as envisaged in the original draft plan, which, according to their country’s constitution, would require a national referendum.

The new draft, according to Kyslytsya, bears little resemblance to the earlier version of the peace proposal that sparked outrage in Kyiv. He said:

“Very little remains of the original version. We’ve developed a solid set of considerations and a few points on which we can compromise. The rest will require management decisions.”

Importantly, the drafts of the plan handed over to the heads of the US and Ukrainian delegations were the only texts that left the negotiating room. Kyslytsya reported that all other copies were returned after the meeting.

The diplomat assured that the Americans were attentive, sought to listen to the Ukrainians’ point of view, and were open to suggestions.

“Almost all of our proposals were taken into account,” he said.

It’s noted that although the negotiations ended on a positive note, they nearly collapsed, according to Kyslytsya, who described the situation in Geneva on Sunday morning as “very tense.” The Americans arrived at the meeting frustrated by media leaks several days before the meeting and public debate over the origins of the first draft of the proposal.

“The first hours were absolutely… hanging by a thread,” the diplomat said.

It took almost two hours of negotiations between Yermak and Rubio to calm the tension and get things back on track. 

According to him, the lengthy meeting with the Americans allowed the Ukrainians to express their concerns and demands. This was followed by a short break and a detailed review of the proposed peace plan, point by point.

The question of the number of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

Kyslytsya stated that the American side appears ready to drop the proposal to impose a 600,000-troop limit on the Ukrainian army. He added that American negotiators listened carefully to the Ukrainian side’s arguments and agreed to take them into account. The diplomat added:

“They agreed that the size of the Ukrainian army indicated in the leaked version [of the draft peace plan] – whoever it was – is no longer under discussion. The military will continue to discuss these agreements.”

According to him, the proposal for a general amnesty for potential war crimes in the original draft was revised to take into account “the complaints of those who suffered in the war.”

He claims that before the talks with the US, Ukraine held closed discussions with European national security advisers to coordinate positions and identify common priorities. The diplomat repeatedly praised the “constructive interaction” of the American team, singling out Rubio, Driscoll, and Kushner.

What steps are expected from Russia?

It is noted that Washington must now decide how and when to present the draft peace agreement to Russia. The Kremlin stated on Monday that it had not yet seen or been informed of it.

“The Russians must show whether they are truly interested in peace or whether they will find a thousand reasons not to enter into negotiations,” Kyslytsya said.

Ukraine, for its part, expressed its readiness to continue working for a just end to the war and to go “anywhere” to continue this process. He also emphasized the broader significance of the Geneva meeting.

“The main achievement of Geneva is that we managed to maintain a working partnership and dialogue with the Americans. Despite the media hype and social media frenzy, both sides demonstrated the strength of their partnership and their ability to produce a viable document for leaders,” the diplomat stated.

Geneva talks – latest news

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that although some issues were clarified at the Geneva talks, ” peace in Ukraine will not come overnight .”

He made it clear that Europe must be consulted and agree to a peace plan for Ukraine, given its implications for European security, and called on Russia to come to the negotiating table and take a more active part in the negotiations.

(c)UNIAN 2025