【By Observer Net, Chen Sijia】 Recently, the "28-point peace plan" between the US and Russia was exposed. US President Trump tried to pressure Ukraine to accept this peace plan. Last weekend, delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and European countries held talks in Geneva, Switzerland on the "28-point plan". US Secretary of State Rubio said the talks had made "good progress".

However, according to a report by CNN on November 26, citing sources, the "28-point plan" includes demands that Ukraine give up territory in the eastern Donbas region, limit military size, and never join NATO. These issues touch on the "red lines" of the Ukrainian government, and Ukrainian President Zelensky does not want to make too much concessions on these issues.

The report said that the Trump administration is actively promoting the progress of the "peace plan", and officials such as Rubio insisted that the remaining differences are "not insurmountable". On the evening of November 24, an American special envoy met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and claimed that "Ukraine has agreed to the peace agreement," with only "some details to be resolved".

However, a Ukrainian source told CNN that Ukraine and the US have reached a "consensus" on most issues proposed in the "28-point peace plan", but there are still major differences in at least three key areas, which may affect the success or failure of the negotiations.

On the evening of November 23, delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and European countries held talks in Geneva IC photo

A source said that the US proposed that Ukraine hand over territory in the eastern Donbas region, making it a demilitarized zone under Russian management. This proposal "has made some progress," but Ukraine has not yet made any decisions on the substantive content or wording of the draft. The person emphasized: "The statement that we have finalized the version that Ukraine has accepted is completely wrong."

CNN pointed out that Russia has not fully occupied the Donbas region, and Ukraine still controls some well-defended towns, which are considered important "fortress belts" for Ukrainian security.

The US also proposed limiting the size of the Ukrainian army, with a plan to restrict it to within 600,000 people. A source said that this proposal is still under discussion, and a higher number was mentioned during the negotiation process. The Ukrainian government hopes to make further modifications to the details of the terms before finalizing the restrictions.

Regarding the clause in the "28-point peace plan" requiring Ukraine to abandon joining NATO, this Ukrainian source told CNN that the clause remains "unacceptable". The source claimed that such a concession would set a "bad precedent" and would actually grant Russia a "veto power" over NATO.

CNN analysis stated that these three issues are Russia's demands and are "sensitive and long-standing red lines" for Ukraine, far from being "minor remaining differences" as claimed by the Trump administration. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has lasted more than three and a half years, and any concession on any issue would come at a great cost to Ukraine and could pose "huge risks" for Zelensky.

Several foreign media outlets disclosed on November 20 that US President Trump is following an "aggressive schedule" to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict before the end of the year, trying to force Ukraine to accept the new 28-point peace plan drafted by the US and Russia. The main contents include requiring Ukraine to give up territory in the eastern Donbas region, limit the size of the Ukrainian army to 600,000, write into the Ukrainian constitution that it will never join NATO, and invite Russia to return to the G8.

This agreement is seen as "severely biased towards Russia", causing unease among the Ukrainian side.

On the evening of November 23, delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and European countries held talks in Geneva, Switzerland. US Secretary of State Rubio said after the meeting that the US and Ukraine have made "good progress" based on existing work, and are modifying and adjusting relevant proposals, striving to narrow the gap on several differences to make the plan closer to a direction acceptable to both sides.

After the Geneva negotiations, the US and Ukraine released another "19-point peace plan". The US and Ukraine did not disclose the specific content of the new plan, but US media such as ABC reported that the revised plan no longer strictly limits the size of the Ukrainian army. Issues related to territorial division, whether Ukraine can join the EU and NATO, and security guarantees for Ukraine were put on hold.

Analysts believe that the "19-point plan" reduced the unfavorable provisions for Ukraine and is closer to Ukraine's position.

On the evening of November 25, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov commented on both the "28-point plan" and the "19-point plan". Lavrov pointed out that Russia received the "28-point plan" proposed by Trump through unofficial channels, but the US has not provided other versions that were "speculated by the media" to Russia. The Russian side believes that the "28-point plan" is "based on the consensus reached at the Ankelechi meeting between Russia and the US".

Lavrov warned that if the "literal and spirit of the Ankelechi meeting" is erased from the agreement, the situation would change. He said that Russia expects the US to reach consensus with Europe and Ukraine on the plan and is prepared to "discuss its wording". The Russian side appreciates Washington's position based on the initiative to resolve the Ukraine conflict and does not expect it to "rush" the negotiation process on the Ukraine issue.

Russian presidential aide Ushakov said on the 26th that the new US special envoy for Ukraine, Driscoll, met with Ukrainian representatives in Abu Dhabi, and "unexpectedly met with Russian representatives". However, Ushakov said that Russia and the US did not discuss the peace plan in Abu Dhabi: "We have not discussed the peace plan in detail with anyone. Although the Russian side has received the documents, we have not had any discussions yet."

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