Senators warn Trump’s Ukraine proposal is Russia’s ‘wish list’ and not the administration’s plan

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war has sparked backlash in the West, with senators accusing it of effectively echoing Russia’s demands.

They labeled it as the “wish list of the Kremlin rather than a genuine framework of peace.” Meanwhile, Trump has noted that the deal is open for revision.

Lawmakers claim Trump’s Russia-Ukraine proposal echoes Moscow’s agenda

Senators Angus King, Jeanne Shaheen, and Mike Rounds told reporters at a security forum in Canada that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio privately described the 28-point document as a Russian “wish list” and “not the administration’s plan” during calls he made while traveling to Geneva for talks.

Senator Rounds said the text “looked more like it was written in Russian to begin with,” insisting, “This administration was not responsible for this release in its current form. They want to utilise it as a starting point.”

Rubio and the State Department have rejected these accusations, and a State Department spokesperson called the senators’ account “blatantly false.” Rubio later wrote on X that Washington had authored the proposal, saying it served as “a strong framework for ongoing negotiations,” drawing on input from both Moscow and Kyiv.

Trump seeks Kyiv response while UK pledges full support

The dispute comes as Keir Starmer and Trump agreed that their teams would coordinate during a recent call ahead of talks in Geneva.

The prime minister earlier assured President Volodymyr Zelensky of Britain’s “steadfast support for Ukraine”.

Trump maintains the plan is not final but wants Kyiv to respond next week. Zelensky has pledged not to “betray his country” while offering alternatives to the Kremlin-backed terms. 

Bipartisan lawmakers denounce Trump peace plan over Ukraine concerns

Several prominent lawmakers on both sides are criticizing Trump’s proposal.

“Putin has spent the entire year trying to play President Trump for a fool,” Kentucky GOP Senator Mitch McConnell wrote Friday. “If Administration officials are more concerned with appeasing Putin than securing real peace, then the president ought to find new advisors.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the only appropriate word to describe the president’s plan is “capitulation.”

“Let me be as clear as possible: Ukraine needs and deserves security guarantees, not one-sided concessions,” he added in a Saturday post. “Any serious peace deal must ensure Ukraine remains free and sovereign with the fullest ability to defend its territory.”

Nebraska Republican Rep Don Bacon has publicly broken ranks with Trump. He took to social media criticizing the plan, posting an image of a wasteland with three distressed eagles and the words, “In the war between Ukraine and Russia, the first to surrender was America.”