US, Ukraine work on ‘refined’ peace plan to end Russian war

The United States and Ukraine on Monday sought to narrow the gaps in a peace plan to end the war with Russia after agreeing to modify a US proposal that Kyiv and its European allies saw as a Kremlin wish list.

Washington and Kyiv, in a joint statement, said they had drafted a “refined peace framework” after talks in Geneva on Sunday. Though there were no specifics, the dialogue received a cautious welcome from some of Ukraine's allies.

The US blindsided Kyiv and European countries with a 28-point peace plan last week, giving Ukraine until Thursday to agree to a framework to end Europe's deadliest war since World War II.

The sudden push raises the pressure on Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is now at his most vulnerable since the start of the war after a corruption scandal saw two of his ministers dismissed and as Russia makes battlefield gains. He could struggle to get Ukrainians to swallow a deal viewed as selling out their interests.

After Sunday’s talks, no public statement was released on how the revised plan would handle contentious issues such as how to guarantee Ukraine's security against future Russian threats and how to fund the rebuilding of Ukraine. Zelenskiy said negotiations were ongoing, while the Kremlin said nothing had officially been conveyed to Russia.

"We all continue working with partners, especially the US, to look for compromises that will strengthen but not weaken us," Zelenskyy said via video link from a separate summit of Ukraine's allies in Sweden.

Zelenskyy said Russia must pay for the war in Ukraine and that a decision on using frozen Russian assets was crucial.