US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to distance the United States from a 28-point settlement plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Russia, according to senators he spoke with on Saturday, the Financial Times reported.
“This is not our recommendation. This is not our peace plan,” said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds, who spoke with Rubio as the secretary was preparing to depart for Geneva to discuss the plan with senior European and Ukrainian officials.
According to the senators, Rubio told them the Russians passed the plan to Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff, and the United States then relayed it to the Ukrainians, acting as a go-between. “Essentially, it’s a Russian wish list,” said Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine.
The senators also said Rubio told them he was not aware of any threats to Ukraine about a potential cutoff of US weapons or intelligence if Kyiv refused to sign a deal.
However, a few hours after the senators described their conversation with Rubio, he issued a public statement on Twitter. He wrote that “the peace proposal was developed by the United States.”
“It is offered as a solid foundation for ongoing negotiations. It is based on proposals from the Russian side. But it also draws on Ukraine’s previous and current proposals.”
“The proposal draws on Ukraine’s previous and current proposals.”
Earlier on Saturday, responding to a reporter’s question, Trump said the proposal was not his final plan for Ukraine.
The exact contents of the 28 points are not known, but several media outlets have published excerpts. They include none of Ukraine’s “previous proposals”: The Insider reviewed and compared the April 2022 Istanbul talks documents with the new “peace plan” - it contains virtually no concessions for Ukraine and instead includes dozens of new demands and benefits for Russia.
