Trump increases pressure on Kyiv as US officials engage Ukrainian counterparts in Geneva
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has reportedly given Ukraine until Thursday to endorse his 28-point plan to end the war, a proposal that allegedly mirrors many of Moscow’s demands and would dramatically reshape Ukraine’s political and military future.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll arrived in Geneva on Saturday, November 22, for meetings with senior Ukrainian officials to map out “next steps for peace."
On Saturday, speaking to reporters, Trump said, "We would like to get to peace, it should have happened a long time ago."
He reiterated that Russia's war with Ukraine would have never happened had he been president. “We will try to get it ended one way or the other. We have to get it ended," he said.
European allies caught off guard by Trump's plan
European governments were reportedly blindsided by the proposal.
The European Council said on Saturday that the plan needs “additional work,” raising concerns over limits on Ukraine’s military and claiming that any commitments involving the EU or NATO require approval from member states.
Diplomats across Europe are scrambling to coordinate a response to a plan drafted with reportedly minimal consultation from Kyiv or European partners.
President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to “work calmly” with the US and partners toward ending the war, even as his government formally authorized a delegation of top security officials to join negotiations.
“Ukraine will never be an obstacle to peace,” Zelensky’s office stated, adding that officials will defend both national interests and European security.
Moscow welcomes plan that reportedly mirrors early Kremlin demands
The plan reportedly requires Kyiv to cede territory, cap the size of its armed forces and abandon its long-standing ambition to join NATO in exchange for a cease-fire, international reconstruction funding and an oversight board led by the US president.
The proposal is widely viewed as a diplomatic win for the Kremlin. Analysts claim that the plan resembles Russia’s maximalist positions during the Istanbul talks in early 2022, when Russian forces controlled significantly more territory.
President Vladimir Putin told a security council briefing that he had reviewed the US plan and believed it "could form the basis of a final peace settlement."
High-level delegations converge in Geneva for negotiations
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll arrived in Geneva on Saturday for meetings with senior Ukrainian officials.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff will also reportedly join the talks on Sunday, where negotiators will work on refining the proposal’s language ahead of a potential meeting between Zelensky and Trump.
A separate US-Russia meeting on the plan is also expected “quickly,” the official claimed, though details remain undisclosed.
While work with the U.S. delegation continues in Kyiv, various assumptions about the content of the consultations are appearing in the public space. I want to briefly clarify this.
— Rustem Umerov (@rustem_umerov) November 21, 2025
During my visit to the United States, my role was technical — organizing meetings and preparing…
National security advisers from Germany, France and the UK are also heading to Geneva, as Europe wants a seat at the table.
Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Rustem Umerov confirmed on X that Kyiv and Washington will discuss “possible parameters of a future peace agreement” in Switzerland.
