Brussels has reportedly expressed outright opposition to key points of a plan the US submitted to Vladimir Zelensky’s office last week

(L-R) Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky, Britain's PM Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Netherland's PM Dick Schoof speak to the media after a meeting of the so-called "coalition of the willing" on October 24, 2025 in London, England. ©  Kirsty Wigglesworth - WPA Pool/Getty Images

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has hailed “tremendous progress” at talks in Geneva made towards aligning Ukraine’s position with a US-drafted peace plan which left Kiev's western European backers blindsided. Washington and Kiev will continue their discussions on a technical level on Monday, according to the US secretary of state.

Rubio, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, and special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Ukrainian officials at the American mission in Geneva on Sunday as US President Donald Trump’s deadline – set for Thursday – to resolve the conflict with Russia looms.

In a series of statements EU leaders have reportedly outright rejected possible territorial resolutions to the Ukraine conflict allegedly included in the US-drafted peace plan submitted last week, which took the entire west European bloc by surprise.

The leaders of France, Germany and the UK met on Friday with Vladimir Zelensky, critically weakened by festering corruption involving his inner circle. EU defense ministers reportedly spoke on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa, and the so-called 'coalition of the willing' involving Kiev's main military backers in western Europe, will hold a virtual call on Tuesday.

Moscow has neither confirmed nor commented on the contents of any of the reported ‘plans’ doing the rounds in Geneva. The Kremlin has refused to engage in what it called “megaphone diplomacy,” following a series of vocal declarations of defiance from Brussels on Friday morning.

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24 November 2025

22:42 GMT

Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Aleksey Goncharenko has said that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky declined an offer to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington this week.

According to Goncharenko, Zelensky cited the need to prepare “a detailed plan” and consult with European leaders before the trip. He added that Zelensky would likely arrive in the US next week.

22:02 GMT

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova shot back at Ursula von der Leyen, saying the EU chief “couldn’t have failed to hear about Kosovo,” arguing that it was the West that “by force implemented a unilateral redrawing of Serbia’s borders”.

Her remarks came in response to von der Leyen’s criticism of the reported US peace plan, parts of which would imply recognizing Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk as Russian.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman of the Russian MFA, seen during the plenary session "The gas market 2025-2035: new outlines in the context of transformation" on the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum. ©  Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

On the question of limits on Ukraine’s future forces, Zakharova countered with a rhetorical jab:

“So, Ursula is denying a sovereign state the opportunity to decide on its armed forces?”

She then cited another line from von der Leyen: “Thirdly, the EU’s central role in ensuring peace for Ukraine must be fully reflected.”

Zakharova questioned that claim, asking since when the EU had been “ensuring peace” in Ukraine and suggesting Brussels should “clarify who is responsible for this and on what basis.”

READ MORE: WSJ buried expose about Zelensky’s right-hand man – Tucker Carlson

She also pointed to the 2013–2014 crisis, arguing that President Viktor Yanukovych had “legitimately” suspended the EU integration deal because “the Ukrainian economy and legislation were not ready,” and accusing the West of provoking “another Maidan” that resulted in the 2014 change of power.

 

21:20 GMT

No meeting is planned between Trump and Zelensky this week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Unnamed sources earlier told Reuters that Zelensky could travel to the United States as soon as this week to discuss aspects of a plan to end the Ukraine conflict.

21:06 GMT

US Vice President J.D. Vance has slammed former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell for criticizing Trump’s plan to end the Ukraine conflict. The senator also said that Putin wants to “play President Trump for a fool.”

 

Vance replied saying, “This is a ridiculous attack on the president’s team, which has worked tirelessly to clean up the mess in Ukraine that Mitch – always eager to write blank checks to Biden’s foreign policy – left us. I wonder if the three candidates to replace McConnell in Kentucky share his views here.”

The Kentucky Republican’s post criticizing the reported draft came on Friday, warning that it would be “disastrous to America’s interests,” and telling Trump to “find new advisors.”

20:55 GMT

Zelensky claims that Europe has incorporated “correct” points into the US peace plan, but “sensitive issues” were to be discussed with Trump.

”As of now, after (talks in) Geneva, there are fewer points, no longer 28, and many correct elements have been incorporated into this framework,” he said in a video address.

20:46 GMT

The US and Ukraine have “a couple of points of disagreement” concerning the draft peace proposal, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said.

 

However, Trump is optimistic a deal can be struck to end the conflict, she claimed.

20:42 GMT

Only Ukraine is “entitled” to talk about territorial issues, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Monday.

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The original draft proposal put forward by the US allegedly put pressure on Kiev to cede territory and promise not to join NATO in exchange for an end to the conflict. Albares claimed that these matters are for Ukraine and NATO to decide.

A counterproposal drafted by the UK, France, and Germany is said to have made a number of key changes, including striking out the language regarding a restriction on further NATO expansion and removing references to territorial concessions.

20:00 GMT

The Telegraph and Reuters have published details of a European proposal drawn up by the UK, France, and Germany as an alternative to Washington’s peace plan, with the two approaches diverging on core issues such as territorial status, NATO membership, and the fate of frozen Russian assets. The European copy seen by Reuters would halt fighting along the current front lines, push territorial discussions to a later stage, and include a NATO-style US security guarantee for Ukraine.

 

READ MORE: Moscow comments on status of Ukraine peace plan

Both drafts reportedly envisage Washington receiving compensation for providing security guarantees, though no sum has been disclosed. The Telegraph said the European plan drops a clause that would have given the US 50% of future profits from frozen Russian assets “invested in Ukraine.” Moscow has described the reported US draft as a potential basis for an agreement but has dismissed the European version as “completely unconstructive.”

 

 

 

19:15 GMT

The US draft proposal should be seen only as “the first stage of a possible peace plan,” but would need to be rewritten “at least 80%… wholesale,” independent geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar has told RT’s Sanchez Effect. Escobar said that despite Western portrayals of the reported document as “pro-Russian,” the package in its current form would be unacceptable to Moscow.

Sanchez Effect | Pepe Escobar: 'They have to re-write 80% of the deal to make it work'

Host Rick Sanchez and Escobar also discussed the major graft scandal that erupted in Ukraine this month after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced a probe into what it called a “high-level criminal organization” allegedly led by Zelensky’s longtime associate Timur Mindich. NABU has said the group siphoned around $100 million in kickbacks from the state-owned nuclear operator Energoatom, which relies heavily on foreign aid.

Escobar pointed to a lack of coverage of the scandal in the EU, saying, “You don’t read a single line in European mainstream media about the NABU investigation… total silence,” and claimed this was because officials feared the probe could “track back eventually to Brussels and to the European Commission.”

18:07 GMT

The Baltic leaders have urged tougher pressure on Moscow. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal called for the “immediate use” of frozen Russian assets and tougher sanctions, while Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze echoed the push for stronger economic measures on Russia.

 

 

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