The United States (US) and Ukraine on Monday continued working on a plan to end the war with Russia, Reuters reported.
According to reports, the two sides, in a joint statement, said they had drafted a “refined peace framework” after talks in Geneva on Sunday, although they did not provide specifics.
The White House said the Ukrainian delegation had told them it “reflects their national interests” and “addresses their core strategic requirements,” although Kyiv did not issue a statement of its own.
It was not clear how the plan – which comes after the two countries agreed to modify an earlier proposal that was widely seen as too favorable to Moscow – would handle a host of issues, including how to guarantee Ukraine’s security against ongoing threats from Russia.
The US and Ukraine said they would continue “intensive work” ahead of a Thursday deadline, although Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the American delegation during the talks, was flying back to Washington late on Sunday.
President Donald Trump has kept up the pressure on Ukraine to reach a deal. On Sunday, he said Ukraine had shown “zero gratitude” for American efforts over the war, prompting Ukrainian officials to emphasize their thanks for Trump’s support.
Trump previously set a Thursday deadline for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept a peace plan, but Rubio said on Sunday that deadline might not be set in stone.
Zelensky could travel to the US as soon as this week to discuss the most sensitive aspects of the plan with Trump, Reuters quoted sources as saying.
The initial 28-point proposal put forth by the United States last week called on Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military and abandon its ambitions to join NATO. Those terms would amount to capitulation for many Ukrainians after nearly four years of fighting in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.