By Lucy Davalou withAP
Release date
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Sunday’s Ukraine peace talks in Geneva as the most productive day of the past 10 months, saying “it was probably the best meeting and day we’ve ever had in this whole process,” but no deal has yet been reached and few details have been made public.
The talks focused on the U.S. peace plan, which many European allies fear is too soft on Russia.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the meeting in Geneva was “extremely valuable” and the most productive day in “a very long time.” Although he provided little information about the talks, he said: “I feel very optimistic that we can get something done.” He noted that talks would continue until Monday and possibly later in the week, and suggested that Europe’s role in the plan could be handled separately from issues involving Russia and Ukraine.
Mr. Rubio stressed that any final proposal must be submitted to the Russian government, saying, “Obviously, the Russians will get the vote here.”
After the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his gratitude for the increased international support behind current peace efforts. In a message on X, he said: “Everyone is providing support, advice and information, and we are grateful to each and every person who is giving this support to us and to Ukraine.” President Zelenskyy said the new engagement was a positive development, saying diplomacy had “revitalized” and “this is good.”
His upbeat tone was in contrast to President Trump, who earlier in the day criticized Ukraine in a post on the social media site TRUTH, saying it showed “zero appreciation” for U.S. aid even before the talks began. President Trump set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to respond, but indicated the response could change. Rubio downplayed the date, saying only that both sides want the fighting to end quickly.
The plan has faced criticism in the United States and Europe for being too Russia-friendly. Concerns were heightened after senators said Rubio told them the proposal came from Russia and was more like a Kremlin “wish list” than a credible peace plan.
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