US President Donald Trump has publicly criticised Ukraine for showing what he called "zero gratitude" for American efforts to broker a peace deal, even as international negotiators gathered in Switzerland to discuss a controversial proposal that appears to originate from Moscow.
Controversial Peace Plan Sparks International Concern
The developing situation took a dramatic turn when Poland's President Donald Tusk questioned the origins of Trump's so-called "peace plan" following apparent admissions from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the text was initially drafted by Russian officials. In a pointed social media statement, Tusk revealed that European leaders alongside counterparts from Canada and Japan stand prepared to examine the 28-point proposal, despite significant concerns about its content and authorship.
The proposed agreement would require Ukraine to surrender territory to Russia while making other substantial concessions, including limiting the size of its military forces and abandoning ambitions to join NATO. Tusk emphasised that while international partners remain willing to engage with the proposal, they need clarity on one crucial question: "It would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created."
Russian Origins and American Endorsement
Investigations into the document's background reveal that Kirill Dmitriev, serving as Vladimir Putin's special envoy, collaborated with Trump's representative Steve Witkoff in drafting the proposal. Linguistic analysis suggests the text may have been originally composed in Russian before undergoing translation into English, further supporting claims of its Moscow origins.
The controversy deepened when several US senators reported that Rubio had privately acknowledged the document was not an American creation but rather a Russian proposal that Moscow deliberately leaked, which the US administration then forwarded to Ukrainian officials. However, Rubio later publicly insisted that the United States did "author" the proposal, albeit with "input" from both Russia and Ukraine.
Amid mounting confusion and opposition from Republican senators, Trump retreated from his earlier ultimatum that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must sign the agreement by this Thursday. Speaking from Washington, the American president described the current proposal as "not my final offer," indicating potential flexibility in future negotiations.
European Resistance and Diplomatic Maneuvering
European leaders have expressed significant reservations about the Moscow-drafted demands that Trump has endorsed. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen firmly stated that Ukraine's borders cannot be altered through military force, adding that limiting the country's armed forces would leave it "vulnerable to future attack."
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced scepticism about reaching any agreement this week, citing "current differences" in positions. One Western ambassador revealed that European diplomats plan to publicly praise Trump's peacemaking efforts while quietly working to "rewrite" the proposal and "make it sensible."
European officials have coordinated their response, arguing that the current draft undermines Ukrainian sovereignty by prohibiting NATO membership and imposing conditions on European Union accession. They maintain that accepting these terms would establish a dangerous global precedent while eliminating possibilities for Western peacekeeping forces in Ukraine and restricting NATO aircraft deployment.
The diplomatic efforts intensified on Sunday as Rubio and Witkoff arrived in Geneva accompanied by US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who had recently met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv. They engaged with a Ukrainian delegation led by Zelenskyy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak, who had previously consulted with officials from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
President Zelenskyy faces an increasingly difficult position, balancing national interests against maintaining crucial American support. He has attempted to maintain diplomatic engagement with a White House that appears determined to conclude the conflict largely on Russian terms. "The bloodshed must be stopped, and we must ensure that the war is never reignited," Zelenskyy stated, reflecting the immense pressure facing Ukrainian leadership.
A US official involved in the negotiations indicated that significant work remains before any agreement can be finalised, noting that "nothing will be agreed on until the two presidents get together," referring to the anticipated direct discussions between Trump and Zelenskyy.
