Trump 'quite pleased' with Ukraine peace talks as Europe reportedly issues counterproposal to Russia
U.S. President Donald Trump is "quite pleased" with the progress made at ongoing peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Nov. 23, as Europe reportedly issued a counterproposal to a U.S.-backed peace plan that heavily favored Russia.
"Today — and we've talked to (Trump) since — I think he's quite pleased at the reports we've given him about the amount of progress that's been made," Rubio told reporters in Switzerland.
"I think we all recognize that part of getting a final end to this war will require for Ukraine to feel that it is safe and it is never going to be invaded or attacked again," he added.
The U.S. leader earlier in the day criticized Ukraine and Europe for their handling of the peace process as the U.S. intensifies efforts to broker a deal.
"Ukraine leadership has expressed zero gratitude for our efforts, and Europe continues to buy oil from Russia," Trump wrote.
Rubio noted the peace plan is a "living, breathing document" and is still subject to change as peace talks continue.
"Just because it's printed on a piece of paper doesn't indicate finality, so you get input, and based on that input, you make adjustments, and then you get more input," he said.
Trump, on Nov. 22, said the initial peace proposal was not Washington's final offer to Ukraine amid widespread concern that Ukraine was being rushed into an unfavorable agreement.
The initially imposed deadline of Nov. 27 could also be extended by several days, Rubio said, adding that he feels "optimistic" that a consensus will be reached "in a very reasonable period of time, very soon."
"Whether it's Thursday, whether it's Friday, whether it's Wednesday, whether it's Monday of the following week, we want it to be soon, because people are going to die," Rubio said.
Trump has previously said that Ukraine must make a decision by Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., which falls on Nov. 27.
Amid talks in Geneva, Europe has reportedly issued a counterproposal to the initial 28-point peace plan, which was widely criticized for favoring Russia.
Reuters reported that the counterproposal would see Ukraine's military capped at 800,000 troops in peacetime rather than 600,000 in the initial peace plan.
Ukraine joining NATO falls on consensus among the alliance's members, which does not exist, the reported proposal stipulates, while also prohibiting NATO from permanently stationing troops on the territory of Ukraine under its command in peacetime.
"All civilian detainees and hostages will be returned, including children," the proposed peace plan stipulates, as reported by Reuters.
The counterproposal also calls for U.S.—backed security guarantees that mirror NATO's Article 5, which, when invoked, considers an attack on one member an attack on all members. NATO's Article 5 is a defining feature of the alliance.
Several Ukrainian concessions are retained in the counterproposal, which allows Russia to rejoin the Group of Eight, which currently operates as the Group of Seven without Moscow's participation.
Europe's counterproposal, as reported by Reuters, also sees the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant fall under international control, with produced electricity divided between Ukraine and Russia.
