US, Ukraine "Negotiations Progress"... Can they find agreement on territory and security guarantees?

Discussion on ending the war 'Peace Framework'

High-level meeting in Geneva with Rubio and others

Joint statement "Guarantee Ukraine's sovereignty"

Donbas concession and military size reduction at issue

The United States and Ukraine have prepared a 'peace framework' to end the nearly four-year-long Russia-Ukraine war. The international community is watching whether this time they can find common ground on contentious issues such as territory between Russia and Ukraine.

The U.S. State Department released a "Joint Statement on the US-Ukraine meeting" on the 23rd (local time), saying, "Delegations from the United States and Ukraine met in Geneva, Switzerland to consult on the U.S. peace proposal," and "Based on these discussions, the two sides have drafted an updated and refined peace framework."

Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, and Andriy Yermak, head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine, met in Geneva that day to negotiate the peace plan. The White House said that Steve Witkoff, President Trump's Middle East envoy; Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law; and Dan Driscoll, U.S. Secretary of the Army, among others, also attended the meeting.

In the statement, the two countries said, "This meeting was conducted in a constructive, intensive, and mutually respectful atmosphere, and confirmed the joint will of both sides to achieve a just and sustainable peace." They added that it "was a meaningful step in aligning both sides' views and deriving clear next steps." The joint statement emphasized, "It reaffirmed that any future agreement must fully guarantee Ukraine's sovereignty and ensure a sustainable and fair peace." The two countries will intensively discuss the peace framework over the coming days and closely communicate with European partner countries. The statement said the final decision on the peace framework will be made by the presidents of Ukraine and the United States.

The US-Ukraine Geneva consultations were based on a draft of a peace plan that has been evaluated as favorable to Russia. The draft peace plan proposed by President Trump reportedly included that Ukraine would cede the entire eastern Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk) region to Russia and reduce the Ukrainian military to a size of 600,000. It also included a provision banning Ukraine's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) while establishing security guarantees in the form of U.S. and European 'collective defense' similar to NATO.

Ukraine and Europe reacted against it, saying it was a plan that reflected only Russia's position. Analysts say the key to the Geneva talks is whether revisions reflecting Ukraine's position were made.

Key figures from the United States and Ukraine also expressed positive positions after the talks. Secretary Rubio said, "The purpose of us coming here today was to narrow the outstanding issues in a document composed of 26 or 28 items," adding, "We achieved that goal to a very considerable extent." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said on Telegram, "We are in talks with the U.S. delegation and President Trump's team is listening to our voice."

However, the war will end only if the opposing country Russia also agrees. Secretary Rubio also said, "For this agreement to work, Russia must also agree." The Trump administration set the deadline for reaching a settlement to the 27th of this month, U.S. Thanksgiving.

Reporter Kim Joo-wan kjwan@hankyung.com