Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff scrambled Sunday to get the controversial 28-point peace plan to end the bloody war in Ukraine back on track after facing bipartisan criticisms that it was nothing more than a Russian «wishlist.»
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff scrambled Sunday to get the White House’s controversial 28-point Ukraine peace plan back on track after facing bipartisan criticisms that it was nothing more than a Russian “wishlist.”
Ahead of a key meeting in Geneva, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European allies raised major reservations about the proposal, which would force Kyiv to make massive territorial concessions.
Rubio, Witkoff, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Jared Kushner and several other US officials huddled in Geneva on Sunday with Ukraine’s delegation to go over the blueprint to end the war in what was reportedly a tense meeting at times. Ultimately, the US agreed to make changes to the plan.
“I’m not going to speculate,” Rubio told reporters on Sunday. “I feel very optimistic that we can get something done here.”
“Obviously, the Russians get a vote.”
Looming over the talks was mass confusion over the origins of the plan to end the bloody war in Ukraine — and reports that the Trump administration threatened to cut off aid if Kyiv didn’t accept.
On Saturday, Rubio attempted to allay concerns over the plan during a call with a bipartisan delegation of senators who attended the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), who was on the call, said that Rubio told them, “It is not our recommendation, it is not our peace plan.”
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who was also on the call, indicated that Rubio suggested it was a “wishlist of the Russians.”
But both Rubio and the State Department quickly hit back, with the Secretary of State stating that the plan was “authored by the US.
