US and Russia to Meet in Geneva as Europe Scrambles to Shape Controversial Ukraine Peace Plan

American and Russian officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva in the coming days after U.S. advisers held talks this weekend with senior aides to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The discussions follow the delivery of a 28-point peace proposal that would require significant concessions from Kyiv and has prompted sharp pushback from European allies and some U.S. lawmakers.

On Sunday, a U.S. delegation including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Senator Marco Rubio and negotiator Steve Witkoff is set to meet with Zelenskyy’s advisers, according to U.S. and European officials, before holding separate discussions with Russian representatives. Several other countries — including the U.K. — are considering sending envoys to Geneva, and national security advisers from France, Germany and Italy may also participate.

What the proposal would require

The 28-point plan, presented on orders from President Donald Trump, would cap the size of Ukraine’s armed forces, bar the country from joining NATO and require Kyiv to cede territory to Russia that Moscow has not occupied during its four-year invasion. President Zelenskyy warned the proposal forces Ukraine into a stark choice between “losing its dignity” or “losing a key partner.”

A U.S. official said the Geneva talks aim to "iron out the last portions the Ukrainians want to work through" ahead of a possible meeting between President Trump and President Zelenskyy. Mr. Trump has reportedly set a Nov. 24 deadline for Ukraine to accept the plan or risk reductions in American intelligence and military support, a compressed timetable that European leaders are racing to influence.

Diplomacy and reactions

After meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Secretary Driscoll told a group of European ambassadors that Europe’s defense industry could not match Russian military output, and that Ukraine would struggle to reclaim lost territory. "No deal is perfect, but it must be done sooner rather than later," he said, according to European officials present. He added that the U.S. armed forces "love" Ukraine and stand by its military, while offering a candid assessment that Ukraine "is in a very bad position and now is the best time for peace."

Julie Davis, charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, told the same gathering that Ukraine’s success remains a U.S. priority but warned Kyiv could not indefinitely sustain its current position if it aims to remain a sovereign state with a viable economy and security guarantees, citing losses of territory and manpower.

Driscoll pushed back against claims the proposal lacked Ukrainian input and said U.S. security assurances would include guarantees for Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty. He also described plans for a high-tech demilitarized zone along the front line. When asked whether Russia had accepted the proposal, he replied that "they would not be here if they did not believe a deal could be reached," according to officials who attended the meeting. Driscoll’s spokesperson, Army Col. Dave Butler, called the exchange "positive" and said the Army secretary discussed "U.S. intentions, the urgency and momentum we’ve achieved."

European response and next steps

European leaders meeting at the G20 in South Africa considered the U.S. proposal largely a non-starter. In a joint statement from the EU and 12 countries attending the summit, they reaffirmed strong support for Ukraine and said they would continue coordinating closely with Kyiv and the United States. European Council President António Costa announced that leaders from 27 EU countries would gather in Angola to develop a counterproposal.

Driscoll’s planned trip to London to brief allies was reportedly canceled after NATO partners criticized elements of the U.S. plan. Ukrainian security adviser Rustem Umerov confirmed the upcoming Geneva consultations on Telegram, writing that Kyiv and Washington are "launching consultations between senior officials regarding possible parameters of a future peace agreement."

Political fallout

The plan has drawn bipartisan skepticism in Washington. House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) called the proposal deeply flawed and said he was "highly skeptical it will achieve peace." At the Halifax International Security Forum, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said the proposal "seems to me like a plan that's been written by Russia about Ukraine, and it was done without our European partners."

Bottom line: Geneva will be the next diplomatic flashpoint as U.S., Ukrainian and Russian officials test whether a contentious U.S. peace proposal can be modified into a framework acceptable to Kyiv and Europe — all under a compressed timeline that could affect U.S. support for Ukraine.