Europe Contradictions over authorship of peace plan for Ukraine
The controversial US plan to end the war in Ukraine would be largely positive for the aggressor Russia - but who penned the 28-point concept?
23.11.2025, 04:31
SDA
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and several senators are publicly contradicting each other on the question of the authorship of the peace plan.
Until now, the US government had presented the plan as its own draft, although critics suspected that it was largely penned by Russia due to its bias in favor of Moscow. On Saturday (local time), two US senators then reported, citing a telephone conversation with Secretary of State Rubio, that the plan attributed to Washington had not been drawn up by the United States.
A short time later, however, the minister contradicted them on Platform X and emphasized that the USA was the author of the plan. This served "as a solid framework for the ongoing negotiations". It had been drawn up by the USA and was based on "suggestions from the Russian side, but also on previous and current contributions from Ukraine", Rubio wrote.
Senators present the facts differently
Just a few hours earlier, several senators had appeared before the press at a security forum in Halifax, Canada, to report on their conversation with Rubio. Republican Senator Mike Rounds said that the peace plan had been brought to the attention of the US government. "It's not our recommendation, it's not our peace plan," he said, referring to Rubio.
According to Senator Angus King, the 28-point plan is "essentially the Russians' wish list". The draft is a "guideline to narrow down the points of contention between Ukraine and Russia", he continued. The aim now is to work towards a peace "that respects the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, does not reward aggression and provides adequate security guarantees."
According to Senator Rounds, an unnamed person had presented the plan to US special envoy Steve Witkoff. The person was to be regarded as a representative of Russia. Rounds added that the US government had not published the plan. "It was leaked," he continued, referring to the media reports that recently made the plan public.
Consultations in Geneva with Ukraine and allies
According to Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Rubio spoke to them when he was on his way to Geneva. The USA wants to discuss the plan there today with representatives from Germany, France, the UK, the EU and Ukraine. The aim of the Europeans is to avert what they see as unacceptable concessions to Russia. The meeting in Geneva will take place at the level of advisors to the heads of state and government - and Rubio is also US President Donald Trump's National Security Advisor.
Plan demands major concessions from Ukraine
The draft peace plan has been circulating in the US media for days. The 28 points of the draft are particularly favorable to Russia. Ukraine, on the other hand, is expected to make major concessions. For example, the proposal stipulates that Ukraine should also cede previously defended territories to Russia and limit its military capabilities, for example in terms of long-range weapons and manpower. In addition, NATO is to declare a renunciation of any expansion.
Trump puts pressure on Ukraine
On Friday, Trump called on Ukraine to essentially agree to the plan by this Thursday - the US Thanksgiving holiday. Just one day later, Trump softened his tone and signaled that it was probably not the final offer after all.
According to the Washington Post newspaper, the US linked the ultimatum to a threat. If the country attacked by Russia resisted the plan, it would have to reckon with the loss of US support, the newspaper reported.
Senator King assessed the deadline of Thursday as non-binding. He also said that he knew nothing about the USA stopping the transfer of intelligence information or other support for Ukraine if the country had not agreed to the plan by the deadline. Senator Rounds said that Secretary of State Rubio had not been informed of this either.
White House: "Good plan for Russia and Ukraine"
US government spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt had recently said that the plan had been worked out by Rubio and Witkoff over a period of weeks. Both had met with representatives from Russia and Ukraine to understand what each country was prepared to do to achieve lasting peace. "It's a good plan for Russia and for Ukraine," she said, "and we believe it should be acceptable to both sides."
