American and Ukrainian negotiators have reportedly hammered out a revised framework with 19 points to broker peace in the protracted Russia-Ukraine conflict. The updated proposal, forged in Switzerland over the weekend, trims down an earlier 28-point draft that had drawn sharp rebukes for its perceived concessions to Moscow.
The original blueprint, floated by the US in recent weeks, envisioned drastic curbs on Ukraine’s military, slashing active personnel from around 900,000 to 600,000, alongside an amnesty for atrocities committed since the 2022 invasion and a handover of the Donbas region to Russian control. It also dangled nebulous ‘security assurances’ in lieu of NATO membership, a non-starter for Ukrainian leaders who view alliance accession as non-negotiable for long-term defense.
The new iteration, however, discards these contentious elements.
Instead of mandates for troop reductions and sweeping amnesties, provisions were included to redress civilian hardships from the war without shielding perpetrators of invasion-linked crimes. Territorial negotiations will not permit any forced recognition of Russian gains through force. Ukraine would retain unilateral say over pursuits like EU integration and NATO bids, free from Kremlin vetoes or preconditions.
Led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, the Geneva discussions bridged divides that had stalled progress since President Trump’s initial overture blindsided allies in Europe and beyond. By Sunday evening, the duo had excised nine points deemed untenable, leaving a leaner document with bracketed placeholders for thornier matters like Crimea’s status and long-term demilitarization zones to be thrashed out directly by Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump in an anticipated summit.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who showed no warmth to the fuller 28-point version last week, signaled openness by saying ‘We are safeguarding Ukraine’s interests and protecting Ukrainians – this is our key negotiating framework.’ US President Trump hailed the refinements as ‘real progress—big league stuff that’ll get us to the table fast.’ US Secretary of State Rubio echoed this in a post-meeting briefing, calling the parley ‘constructive and converging,’ though he cautioned that ‘the heavy lifting falls to the principals now.’
From Moscow, the response has been more guarded. President Vladimir Putin, who had praised the original scheme as a ‘viable starting point’ echoing his prior chats with Trump, instructed aides to scrutinize the overhaul but offered no immediate endorsement. Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov dismissed a parallel European counter-draft as ‘unhelpful,’ insisting any viable accord must undergo ‘thorough bilateral vetting’ to address Russia’s core security concerns, including denazification pledges and neutrality clauses.
Meanwhile, European leaders from the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen to Britain’s Keir Starmer and Poland’s Donald Tusk convened virtually overnight, stating that ‘peace demands Russia’s buy-in without compromising Ukraine’s wholeness.’ A joint communiqué warned against ‘rushed deals that embolden aggressors,’ while pledging logistical support for broader mediation, potentially under UN auspices.