Despite providing few details, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that “a significant amount of progress” had been made in the US proposal to end Russia’s nearly four-year war with Ukraine.
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Rubio told reporters at the US mission in Geneva, “We’ve really moved forward, so I’m very optimistic that we’ll be there in a reasonable amount of time, very soon.”
Rubio claimed that there were still unresolved issues in his team’s 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, which was supported by US President Donald Trump, but that work was still needed. These include the role of NATO and security guarantees for Ukraine.
He claimed that “we have accomplished that today in a very significant way.”
The delegation’s head, Andriy Yermak, echoed Rubio’s words, telling reporters that they had made “very good progress” and were “moving forward to the just and lasting peace Ukrainian people deserve.”
Ukrainian officials expressed their gratitude to the US president for his assistance after Trump earlier claimed that Ukraine had not been grateful for US efforts to end the conflict.
On Sunday morning, Trump posted on his social media page that “UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS. EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, stated on X that his country was “grateful to the United States… and personally to President Trump” for the assistance that has been “saving Ukrainian lives.”
According to a report from the US and Ukrainian officials, Zelenskyy may travel to the US in the coming days for direct talks with Trump.
Trump had given Ukraine until November 27 to approve his 28-point plan, but Kyiv wants changes to the draft that include demands from Russia to cut its army, abandon its military, and declare never to join NATO.
In Kiev and the capitals of Europe, the peace plan has sparked concern. According to Zellenskyy, his nation may have to choose between protecting its right to free speech and preserving US support.
When asked whether he believed a deal could be reached by Thursday, as the US president had demanded, Rubio responded that “we want this done as soon as possible.”
Rubio referred to the US proposal as a “living, breathing document” that would “continue to change.” He added that Moscow will still need to receive any finished product once it is finished.
He said, “The Russians get a vote here, of course.”
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Source: Aljazeera
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