US and Ukraine praise 'highly productive' talks on 'refined' peace plan despite allies' doubts

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: Ukraine and its allies welcomed signs of progress on Monday, November 24, after a fresh round of high-stakes peace talks in Geneva with the United States. 

These negotiations were driven by Washington’s push for Kyiv to endorse a long-debated plan to end the war by Thanksgiving.

In a joint statement, Ukraine and the US said the discussions had produced an “updated and refined peace framework,” calling the talks “highly productive” and noting “meaningful progress.” No specific details were released.

European leaders expressed guarded optimism but cautioned that “major issues” reportedly remained unresolved, as Kyiv and its partners sought to navigate a US ultimatum to accept the peace plan, one they fear hands Moscow its core territorial demands.

Trump says ‘something good may be happening’

President Donald Trump added uncertainty to the negotiations with a post on Truth Social on Monday.

“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,” he wrote.

Trump also reportedly escalated tensions late last week by accusing Kyiv of showing “zero gratitude” for US support since the start of the invasion.

Europe urges caution as concerns mount over US ultimatum

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian delegation was returning home to report on the talks. “Based on these reports, we will determine the next steps and the timing,” he said.

Moscow continued to claim it was shut out of the process, and it remained unclear whether any Ukrainian counterproposals would be acceptable to the Kremlin.

Speaking earlier via video link to a summit in Sweden, Zelenskyy said Kyiv was working with its partners “to look for compromises that strengthen, but not weaken us.”

On Friday, he warned that Ukraine faced perhaps its toughest week yet, confronting a choice between its “dignity” and appeasing a “key partner.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a more upbeat assessment. “A tremendous amount of progress” had been made, he told reporters. Zelenskyy also said there were “signals President Trump’s team is hearing us.”

Pressed on whether Ukraine was being urged to agree to a framework by Thanksgiving, Rubio said the US wanted to “get this done” as soon as possible. “Obviously, we’d love it to be Thursday,” he added.

Meanwhile, European allies remained cautious as they scrambled to understand the implications of a fast-moving settlement that could reshape Europe’s security architecture.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that while the Geneva meetings were “a step forward,” there were still “major issues which remain to be resolved.”

European Union leaders met on the sidelines of a summit in Angola to review the situation, as reports circulated of a European counterproposal. “While work remains to be done, there is now a solid basis for moving forward,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.