‘Something Good May Just Be Happening’: Trump Touts Progress at Talks To End Russian War on Ukraine

Latest Developments

Refining Original Proposal: American and Ukrainian representatives meeting in Geneva have reportedly revised the 28-point peace plan developed by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. According to Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya, the current draft, now 19 points, bears little resemblance to the original, but the U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators left the most sensitive issues “in brackets” to be settled by their two leaders. President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Truth Social, writing, “Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine??? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening.”
Europeans Offer Revisions: The United Kingdom, France, and Germany, which sent senior officials to the Geneva talks, drafted a counterproposal that is more favorable to Ukraine than Witkoff’s original plan. Following talks on Sunday night, however, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had briefed European officials on progress in the U.S.-Ukraine talks but was unaware of the European plan. The leaders of European states backing Ukraine, dubbed the “Coalition of the Willing,” announced plans to hold a virtual meeting on November 25.
Zelenskyy Urges European Input: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine was engaging the United States on the draft and called for European allies “not to be silent.” He emphasized that it was “extremely important to uphold the principles that Europe follows: Borders cannot be changed by force. Criminals must not remain unpunished. They must answer for the war they started.” Yuri Ushakov, a senior advisor to Putin, said that the European draft “doesn’t fit us at all,” adding that Moscow preferred Trump’s original plan.

FDD Expert Response

“It’s encouraging that the 28-point plan is now being revised from a list of Russia’s maximalist demands into a proposal that could halt the carnage — the result President Trump has long sought. Regarding conquered and occupied Ukrainian territories as de facto Russian is a recognition of reality. But the same cannot be said of the demand that Ukraine must cede territories that Putin’s forces have not conquered, do not occupy, and from which another assault on Kyiv could be launched. It’s also imperative that Ukraine not be required to slash its armed forces — which are strictly defensive — especially as such restrictions are not placed on Russia’s armed forces, which have been threatening other states in the region as well as attacking Ukraine.”— Clifford D. May, Founder and President

“Kudos to Secretary Rubio and the Ukrainians for engaging constructively toward a better plan. The challenge, of course, will be getting Moscow to agree to terms tolerable to Ukraine. By initially attempting to strong-arm Kyiv into an unfavorable deal, Washington may have reinforced Putin’s belief that he can hold out for better terms. Putin must be convinced that prolonging the war will bring Russia nothing but mounting pain. Even as diplomacy continues, Washington needs to bring greater pressure to bear on Moscow, including by stringently enforcing the new oil sanctions and enhancing Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities.” — John Hardie, Russia Program Deputy Director

“The requirements for peace are clear. We cannot reward Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, nor can we invite future aggression by allowing Moscow to dictate terms to Ukraine, the United States, or our allies. The so-called ‘28-point’ plan attempted to do exactly that. President Trump can still broker a lasting peace in Ukraine but only if we commit to ironclad security guarantees for Kyiv and sustained economic and diplomatic restrictions on Russian war criminals. Anything less will kick the can of future fighting further down the road.” — Peter Doran, Adjunct Senior Fellow