Tuesday 25/11/2025 - 08:13
The US and Ukraine stated that they had reached an "updated and improved peace framework" for the "termination" of the US - NATO - EU and Russia war during talks held on Sunday in Geneva, just hours after powerful European states – Britain, France, Germany, the so-called E3 – presented their own plan, as an alternative to that of the US. A representative from Italy also participated.
US Secretary of State, M. Rubio, after negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation led by the Advisor to the Ukrainian President, Andriy Yermak, stated he was "very optimistic" that an agreement could be concluded "very quickly."
According to the joint statement, any potential agreement to end the war with Russia "must fully respect the national sovereignty" of Ukraine – at a time when all variations of the plans being discussed de facto recognize the "realities on the ground" and refer to a division of spoils, over which the imperialist rivalry is intensifying.
Correspondingly, Ukrainian President, V. Zelenskyy, stated that the latest version of the "peace" framework "now reflects the majority of Ukraine's key priorities" and that there are "signals that the Trump team is listening to us."
Last night he stated that after the talks in Geneva "there are fewer points, no longer 28, and many correct elements have been incorporated into this framework," adding that "I will discuss the most sensitive points with President Trump."
In an effort by the Europeans to "get involved" in the negotiations, National Security Advisors from the E3 attended Geneva, where they met with US Army Secretary D. Driscoll, EU, US, and Ukrainian officials.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the G7 group and European leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg to discuss the American plan for the war in Ukraine.
US President D. Trump appeared open to a "common peace plan" for Ukraine, German Chancellor Fr. Mertz stated yesterday, referring to the telephone contact the two leaders had last week. "And that is exactly what the representatives of Ukraine, the US, and the EU member states achieved in Geneva," he said.
"Substantial progress" in the Geneva discussions regarding peace efforts for Ukraine was mentioned by the Presidents of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council, Ant. Costa, shortly after the informal meeting of European leaders in Luanda, on the sidelines of the EU-Africa Summit.
According to the President of the Commission, a "solid foundation for advancing peace talks" was created.
British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, also welcomed the "significant progress" in the weekend talks on Ukraine.
Turkish President R. T. Erdogan, during a conversation with Russian leader Vl. Putin, stated that Ankara would continue to "facilitate a settlement of the Ukrainian issue" and proposed Istanbul as a platform for negotiations.
Germany, France, and Britain prepared their own "draft peace proposal" based on the American proposal and sent it to Kyiv and Washington.
In this, talks for a territorial settlement would only begin after a ceasefire was achieved – something Moscow rejects – and would be based on the current front line. The plan does not require Ukraine to abandon any territories it still controls in Donbas.
The territorial issue remains open and explosive. The US plan stipulates that areas of Donbas not yet militarily controlled by Russia will be transformed into a Russian demilitarized zone and the Ukrainian army will withdraw.
These are critical territories, mainly in the Donetsk region, of great military importance for Ukraine and Eastern Europe as a whole. This is the so-called "fortress zone," with well-fortified cities, into which Russian troops have been advancing at a rather slow pace since the start of the invasion in February 2022.
Furthermore, analysts point out in the "Wall Street Journal" that any order to withdraw from the fortified cities of the region would cause a crisis in political and military leadership relations.
Kyiv puts forward "three red lines": No legal recognition of the Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories, no restrictions on the number of Ukrainian armed forces, and no limits on future imperialist alliances in which Ukraine can participate.
Last night he stated that after the talks in Geneva "there are fewer points, no longer 28, and many correct elements have been incorporated into this framework," adding that "I will discuss the most sensitive points with President Trump."
"Significant progress" in Geneva
In an effort by the Europeans to "get involved" in the negotiations, National Security Advisors from the E3 attended Geneva, where they met with US Army Secretary D. Driscoll, EU, US, and Ukrainian officials.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the G7 group and European leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg to discuss the American plan for the war in Ukraine.
US President D. Trump appeared open to a "common peace plan" for Ukraine, German Chancellor Fr. Mertz stated yesterday, referring to the telephone contact the two leaders had last week. "And that is exactly what the representatives of Ukraine, the US, and the EU member states achieved in Geneva," he said.
"Substantial progress" in the Geneva discussions regarding peace efforts for Ukraine was mentioned by the Presidents of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council, Ant. Costa, shortly after the informal meeting of European leaders in Luanda, on the sidelines of the EU-Africa Summit.
According to the President of the Commission, a "solid foundation for advancing peace talks" was created.
British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, also welcomed the "significant progress" in the weekend talks on Ukraine.
Turkish President R. T. Erdogan, during a conversation with Russian leader Vl. Putin, stated that Ankara would continue to "facilitate a settlement of the Ukrainian issue" and proposed Istanbul as a platform for negotiations.
The territorial issue of cities - "natural fortresses."
Germany, France, and Britain prepared their own "draft peace proposal" based on the American proposal and sent it to Kyiv and Washington.
In this, talks for a territorial settlement would only begin after a ceasefire was achieved – something Moscow rejects – and would be based on the current front line. The plan does not require Ukraine to abandon any territories it still controls in Donbas.
The territorial issue remains open and explosive. The US plan stipulates that areas of Donbas not yet militarily controlled by Russia will be transformed into a Russian demilitarized zone and the Ukrainian army will withdraw.
These are critical territories, mainly in the Donetsk region, of great military importance for Ukraine and Eastern Europe as a whole. This is the so-called "fortress zone," with well-fortified cities, into which Russian troops have been advancing at a rather slow pace since the start of the invasion in February 2022.
Furthermore, analysts point out in the "Wall Street Journal" that any order to withdraw from the fortified cities of the region would cause a crisis in political and military leadership relations.
Kyiv puts forward "three red lines": No legal recognition of the Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories, no restrictions on the number of Ukrainian armed forces, and no limits on future imperialist alliances in which Ukraine can participate.
The European plan
European officials accused the American plan of "undermining the European security system," excluding a Franco-British military "peacekeeping" mission, and limiting the deployment of NATO aircraft, essentially serving Russian positions.
Regarding the size of the Ukrainian army in peacetime, the Europeans suggest it be limited to 800,000, compared to the 600,000 proposed by the US.
The E3 plan does not exclude possible NATO membership for Ukraine, although it recognizes that there is no consensus yet. The American plan calls on Ukraine to constitutionally enshrine non-membership in NATO.
NATO agrees not to permanently station troops under its command in Ukraine in peacetime, the European plan states, although it is not clarified whether NATO member countries – e.g., the "Coalition of the Willing" – intend or are "allowed" to deploy troops on Ukrainian territory.
NATO fighter jets will be stationed in Poland.
Europeans are demanding stronger "security guarantees" from the US in Ukraine, reflecting Article 5 of the NATO Treaty.
Regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control, the Europeans demand that it be transferred to the International Atomic Energy Agency, with a 50-50 operational sharing between Russia and Ukraine.
They call for the establishment of a "joint security working group" with the participation of the US, Ukraine, Russia, and the Europeans to promote and enforce all provisions of this agreement.
There will be a comprehensive and full non-aggression agreement between Russia and Ukraine and NATO. Russia will legally enshrine a policy of non-aggression towards Europe and Ukraine.
EU: "Two-point" plan
As the head of EU Foreign Policy, K. Kallas, characteristically stated, the EU has a simple "two-point plan": The weakening of Russia and the support of Ukraine.
For her part, the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed that "no restrictions should be imposed on Ukraine's armed forces that would leave the country vulnerable to future attack and therefore also undermine European security."
She also emphasized the EU's increased geopolitical role, which should be "fully reflected" in an agreement, meaning European capital should have the primary say: Ukraine "chose the European path. This begins with the reconstruction of the country, its integration into our Single Market and industrial defense base, and ultimately, its integration into our Union."
The US demands a share of Russian assets from Europe
Meanwhile, the E3 plan mentions the utilization of "frozen" Russian assets exclusively for the reconstruction of Ukraine, instead of their partial transfer to American investors, an issue that has rekindled antagonisms within the Euro-Atlantic axis.
German Chancellor, Fr. Mertz, described the US plan to use Russian funds "frozen" within the EU as "unacceptable."
Specifically, Washington proposed in its plan that $100 billion of the Russian assets "frozen" in Europe be channeled into reconstruction efforts and investments in Ukraine under US control, which would then receive 50% of potential profits.
The American plan also stipulates that the EU will contribute an additional $100 billion to Ukraine's reconstruction.
These are points of the plan which "certainly cannot be implemented without our approval," Mertz pointed out, and stated that discussions are currently focused on using assets as a loan.
"If this loan is granted, it will be provided by the EU and then given to Ukraine, as security, so that it can continue to buy (EU) weapons. But this is not something that directly affects Americans. Therefore, of course, Americans cannot have access to this amount," he said, adding that "the demand for another 100 billion from Europe is also not something we can accept."
Russia's reaction and Trump - Xi contact
From Russia's side, however, Kremlin foreign policy advisor G. Ushakov stated that "the European plan, at first glance... is completely unconstructive and does not work for us."
He added that "not all, but many positions of this (American) plan seem quite acceptable to us," but some would need to be discussed in more detail.
The issue of the conflict in Ukraine was also discussed in yesterday's telephone conversation between US President D. Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
According to Chinese state television, Xi expressed hope that all sides would continue to reduce their differences and reach a "fair, lasting, and workable" agreement as soon as possible, which would address the root causes of the crisis – a formulation consistently used by Moscow.
Slow Russian advance continues in Donetsk
Russian armed forces continue their slow advance in the Donetsk region and are estimated to currently control 19% of Ukrainian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the army captured four communities in the Donetsk region, including the village of Yambil, east of Sloviansk, a city that remains in the hands of the Ukrainian army.
Furthermore, Russian forces claim to have captured the almost completely destroyed city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region.
In its update yesterday, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that the communities of Stafki and Novoselivka were under Russian attacks, but did not mention territorial losses.
Meanwhile, the chief of the Russian General Staff, V. Gerasimov, assured a few days ago that Russian forces now control 70% of the city of Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub for the Ukrainian army.
Russian forces also say they have made territorial gains further south, in the Zaporizhzhia region.
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