U.S. Peace Talks with Ukraine: Progress or Stalemate?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged during a meeting with Ukrainian representatives in Geneva that his government had made significant strides in addressing unresolved issues within the U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine, but emphasized that further time was needed to resolve remaining challenges. “There are a couple of issues we need to work on,” Rubio stated, noting that none were insurmountable. “We just need more time than we had today. I honestly believe we’ll get there.”

The teams involved have developed a “foundational document” on the peace plan with Ukraine, according to Rubio, who highlighted the importance of continued dialogue. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the ongoing discussions with U.S. representatives, stating that there were signals Trump’s team was listening. “Today, talks are continuing in Switzerland. The teams will work practically into the night, and there will be further reports,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

Zelenskyy also noted that Ukraine was thankful for U.S. support after Trump claimed that Ukrainian leaders had expressed “zero gratitude” for assistance. Rubio described the high-stakes talks in Geneva as “very worthwhile” and the most productive day in “a very long time” on larger efforts to end the fighting. “I feel very optimistic that we can get something done,” he said, adding that any final product would still need to be presented to Moscow: “obviously, the Russians get a vote here.”

Trump set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to respond to the plan, but also suggested it could slide if there was proof of real progress and the plan was not his final offer. Some American and European supporters of Ukraine criticized the plan as too favorable to Moscow. Questions intensified after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators said Rubio told them Saturday the plan had originated with Russia and was actually a “wish list” for Moscow, rather than a final, take it or leave it proposal.

Ukrainian Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak expressed optimism about achieving a just and lasting peace, stating that Ukrainian people deserve and want this peace more than ever. “We thank our big friends, United States and President Trump and his team, to their commitment to bring this peace,” Yermak said, adding that Ukraine would continue working in the coming days to join proposals and engage European allies. “The final words will be of our leaders, of the President of United States, and Ukraine, and I hope that we can achieve the good progress today.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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