Senior officials from the United States, Ukraine and key European allies are meeting in Geneva to examine a US-drafted plan that Washington says could end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
The proposal, driven from the White House and presented as a 28-point framework, would require Kyiv to cede territory, accept limits on its armed forces and formally abandon its ambition to join NATO.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are in the Swiss city for the talks, alongside U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll. Ukraine’s delegation is led by Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, with senior security officials also participating. National security advisers from France, Britain and Germany – the so-called E3 – are taking part, joined by representatives of the European Union, while Italy is sending an official observer.
The meeting follows President Donald Trump’s public insistence on Friday that Zelenskyy has until Thursday to accept the plan. According to U.S. officials, the framework is still being adjusted. One official said the aim in Geneva was to “iron out the final details” and shape a deal “advantageous” to Ukraine, while stressing that no agreement would be final until a direct meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy.
European governments have moved quickly to insert themselves into the process. A German government source said a separate European draft, based on the U.S. proposal but adjusted in key areas, has already been circulated to both Kyiv and Washington. European leaders have described the U.S. text as a starting point for negotiations but say it requires further work if it is to be acceptable in European capitals and in Ukraine.
The main points of contention are clear. The U.S. plan reflects core Russian demands: recognition of Moscow’s control over parts of Ukrainian territory, constraints on the future size and capabilities of Ukraine’s armed forces, and a formal renunciation of NATO membership. In exchange, it envisages Russian withdrawals from some newly occupied areas, security guarantees for Ukraine and relief from certain sanctions for Russia, though detailed provisions have not been made public. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the framework as a basis for a settlement but signalled that Moscow may object to parts of it, particularly where it envisages pullbacks from territory seized since 2022.
For Kyiv, the stakes are high. Ahead of the Geneva talks, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine faced what he described as a choice between “dignity and freedom” and the risk of losing U.S. backing if it rejected Washington’s terms. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said they will not formally accept the loss of territory and insist that any settlement must provide for the restoration of Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders and viable long-term security guarantees.
The talks are unfolding against a backdrop of continued fighting and regular Russian missile and drone strikes. In recent days, Russian attacks have hit civilian areas, including a deadly strike on an apartment building in Ternopil, western Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine has continued to target infrastructure inside Russia, including a reported drone strike on a heat and power station in the Moscow region that caused a large fire and disrupted heating supplies.
Canada and other Western partners are also engaged diplomatically. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would speak to Zelenskyy about the peace proposal, while also signalling that Ottawa remains focused on broader bilateral issues with Washington, including trade, which has been strained by recent U.S. decisions.
Within the Western camp, there is a shared desire to test whether Moscow is prepared to negotiate on the basis of the U.S. framework, but also a clear effort to adjust the document to address Ukrainian concerns before Trump’s self-imposed deadline. European officials have indicated that they want clearer language on Russia’s withdrawal obligations, and more robust security guarantees for Ukraine.
For now, Geneva is being presented as a technical and political round rather than a venue for a final settlement. U.S. officials say any agreement will ultimately require a meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy, while Ukrainian and European representatives are treating the American draft and the European counter-proposal as parallel tracks in a broader diplomatic process.
