U.S. Senator Marco Rubio told reporters in Geneva on Sunday that the latest talks aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine were the "most productive" meeting so far, even as critics charge that the Trump administration's proposed peace plan reflects Russian priorities.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) had told colleagues that the document "was delivered to one of our representatives" and "is not our recommendation; it is not our peace plan." The State Department and Rubio pushed back on that characterization, saying the proposal was prepared by the United States with input from both Russian and Ukrainian officials.
Rubio described the Geneva session as unusually constructive: "From the start, we had a solid work product built on input from all relevant parties, and today we were able to go through many of those items point by point. I believe we made real progress." He said he and his team are making "adjustments" intended to narrow differences and move closer to an outcome acceptable to both Ukraine and the United States.
"It isn't just my personal view — this has probably been the most productive and meaningful meeting we've had so far in this entire process since we became involved," Rubio said. "Of course, any final agreement will ultimately need to be approved by our presidents. But I feel confident about that happening, given the progress made so far."
Rubio also noted that U.S. negotiators have spent roughly nine months gathering insights and said they have a clearer sense of the issues that matter most to the Russian side. He added that any final agreement would require presidential approval and suggested the current deadline might be flexible as negotiations continue.
President Donald Trump has reportedly given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a deadline to accept the plan by Thursday; Rubio indicated that deadline could be extended depending on how talks progress.
The claimed progress in Geneva came the same day Trump criticized Ukraine's "LEADERSHIP" on Truth Social without naming Zelensky directly: "The War between Russia and Ukraine is a violent and terrible one that, with strong and proper U.S. and Ukrainian LEADERSHIP, would have NEVER HAPPENED," he wrote, adding that "UKRAINE 'LEADERSHIP' HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS."
This developing story centers on whether the framework being circulated is a U.S.-led proposal shaped with input from both Moscow and Kyiv, or a text that critics say is too aligned with Russian demands. Rubio characterized the Geneva session as tangible progress toward bridging those differences.
