【By Observer Net, Yuan Jiaqi】
Last week, US President Trump suddenly released a "28-point peace plan" drafted by US-Russia negotiators and pressured Ukraine to accept it before this Thursday (27th). However, just a few days later, after the Geneva talks, the US and Ukraine came up with a new "19-point peace plan".
According to reports from the Financial Times on the 24th, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Kyslytsa, who participated in the Geneva negotiations, revealed that this new draft has "almost no similarities" with the "28-point plan".
"Very little of the original content remains," he emphasized. "We have reached some basic consensus and found some areas where we can compromise. The remaining issues still need decision-making by the leaders of both countries."
Kyslytsa claimed that the meeting was "intense but productive," ultimately resulting in a completely revised document draft, which both sides viewed with a "positive attitude."
According to reports, after several hours of arduous negotiations, the US and Ukraine reached agreements on multiple issues, but temporarily set aside the most controversial clauses such as territorial issues, NATO, and US-Russia relations, leaving them for decisions by Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.
Kyslytsa also revealed that the Trump administration expects to contact Moscow soon to promote the negotiation process.
According to Reuters, the US and Ukraine confirmed in a joint statement that the Geneva talks held on Sunday had drafted an "improved peace framework," but the statement did not disclose specific details.
Zelenskyy said in a night-time video address that the Ukrainian negotiating team had reported on the new draft, and the revised version included "reasonable" terms, with sensitive matters to be discussed directly with Trump.
Trump then posted on the "Truth Social" platform, hinting at new progress in the negotiations. He wrote, "Could the Russia-Ukraine peace talks really make significant progress? ??? Seeing is believing, but maybe something good is actually happening."
White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt later added that there are still a few minor differences between the two sides, but "there is confidence that these issues can be resolved."
She also revealed that Trump hopes to reach an agreement as soon as possible, but there are currently no plans for a meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents. According to sources, Zelenskyy may visit the US as early as this week to discuss the core controversial points of the draft with Trump.
Russian Kremlin responded on Monday that they have not seen or heard any related announcements.
On November 23 local time, in Geneva, Switzerland, delegations from the US, Ukraine, and European countries held talks discussing the US-proposed "28-point" new plan to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Oriental IC
According to a report by the Financial Times, the Ukrainian delegation at the talks was led by Yermak, a close aide to Zelenskyy, and Umerov, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, with Kyslytsa and several officers and intelligence officials serving as assistants; the US delegation included Secretary of State Rubio, Army Secretary Driscoll, Trump's Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The report mentioned that Kushner's participation initially surprised Ukrainian officials.
Kyslytsa gave a positive evaluation of the US delegation, saying that they were "focused and serious, willing to listen to Ukraine's position and accept suggestions," and "almost all our opinions were taken into consideration." He specifically praised the "constructive participation" of Rubio, Driscoll, and Kushner, emphasizing that "they never refused to discuss any issue, and all clauses were carefully negotiated."
However, he also revealed that this successful negotiation almost didn't start: the atmosphere in Geneva on Sunday morning was "extremely tense," as the US was upset over media leaks before the meeting and the controversy surrounding the origin of the first draft.
"The situation in the initial few hours was simply... hanging by a hair (hanging by a hair)," until Yermak and the US side communicated for nearly two hours to ease the situation, allowing the talks to return to track. "Finally, we went to the US embassy premises to conduct substantive dialogue."
Ukrainian President's Office Director Yermak (left) Oriental IC
Kyslytsa introduced that the long discussion in the morning allowed the Ukrainian side to fully express their concerns and demands. After a short break, both sides reviewed the "28-point plan" in detail.
According to him, the US side seemed willing to cancel the clause in the original draft regarding the "limitation of the size of the Ukrainian army to 600,000 people."
"The US negotiators listened carefully to our arguments and agreed to take these opinions into account," Kyslytsa said. "They all agreed that regardless of who originally drafted the plan, the clause regarding the number of Ukrainian troops is no longer under discussion, and military-related arrangements will continue to be discussed by the military of both sides."
The Ukrainian side also stated that their delegation had "no authority" to decide on territorial issues, especially the land cession clauses mentioned in the original draft. According to the Ukrainian Constitution, such major issues require approval through a national referendum.
In addition, the clause in the original draft regarding "comprehensive amnesty for potential war crimes" has been revised again to "respond to the demands of war victims."
Kyslytsa emphasized that the "fundamental achievement" of the Geneva meeting was "maintaining a viable partnership and communication channel between the US and Ukraine."
He said, "Despite media hype and social media frenzy, both sides have proven that this partnership is strong enough to develop a practical solution for the leaders of the two countries."
He also said, "We are not sitting in the headquarters of Netflix writing a script and then going for an Oscar nomination. We should not be influenced by emotions or hype, but rather take responsibility and face the complexity of the issues."
Later that day, representatives from European allies such as the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and EU institutions also joined separate meetings. Kyslytsa revealed that before negotiating with the US, Ukraine had already communicated privately with security advisors from various European countries to coordinate positions and clarify common priorities.
British media reported that Ukraine's European allies welcomed the US-Ukraine dialogue cautiously.
On Monday local time, during the EU-Africa Summit in Luanda, Angola, a special meeting was held to discuss the Ukraine issue. German Chancellor Merkel stated that Trump had expressed openness to jointly developing a peace plan, "which is exactly the stage achievement achieved by the representatives of Ukraine, the US, and EU member states yesterday in Geneva," while emphasizing that "Ukraine's peace will not be achieved overnight."
Polish Prime Minister Tusk made a tough statement, saying that any agreement must not weaken Ukraine or Europe. "This is sensitive, and no one wants the US and President Trump to exit the support process for us."
Just a few days ago, Tusk had openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the "28-point plan" on social media. He posted on social media, "Before starting work, it would be best to find out who wrote this plan and where it was written."
This plan, secretly promoted by the Trump administration, caused a big stir due to its "strong bias towards Russia." According to foreign media reports, the "28-point plan" involves four sections: Ukraine's peace, security assurance, European security, and US-Russia-US-Ukraine relations. The Trump administration has already discussed it with the Russians.
According to the leaked information, the plan requires Ukraine to give up the eastern Donbas region, significantly reduce its military, and give up some weapons, suspend its accession to NATO, stipulate that foreign armies cannot be deployed in Ukraine, terminate US military aid to Ukraine, and prohibit foreign diplomatic aircraft from landing in Ukraine. Russian will be established as the official language of Ukraine, and the Russian Orthodox Church will gain official status on the territories controlled by Russia.
This plan has been collectively opposed by Ukraine, European countries, and even some American Republicans. The EU and Ukraine were almost kept in the dark, only learning about the details when the media exposed it, feeling caught off guard.
A copy reviewed by Reuters shows that Ukraine's European allies have already drafted a counter-proposal, proposing a ceasefire based on the current front lines, leaving territorial issues for later, and providing Ukraine with "NATO-style American security assurance."
The Russian side, however, took a clear stance, calling the "28-point plan" only a "potential basis for a possible agreement," but clearly rejecting the European version. Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov bluntly stated, "The European proposal seems completely unconstructive at first glance, and is not feasible for us."
Regarding the origin of the "28-point plan," there were also conflicting statements within the US. On the evening of November 22 local time, US Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a Republican, stated at a security forum in Canada that Rubio had told a group of members of Congress that the peace plan draft was proposed by Russia, not the US, "It is not our suggestion, nor is it our peace plan."
However, Rubio later posted on X, stating that the peace plan was drafted by the US, "aimed at providing a strong framework for ongoing negotiations." He also cautiously stated, "It is based on the opinions provided by the Russians, but also on the opinions provided by Ukraine previously and continuously."
After the Geneva talks, Rubio described it as "the most productive and meaningful talks so far." He hinted that Trump's dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian side had been alleviated, and he was "satisfied" with the progress.
But while the US-Ukraine negotiations were taking place, Trump turned his attention to Ukraine and Europe, blasting them for "not facilitating a ceasefire." An European official admitted that the situation within the Trump administration was becoming "chaotic."
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