Geneva Talks Advance on US, European Ukraine Peace Plans

Negotiations intensified in Geneva on Sunday as officials from the United States, Ukraine, and European nations convened to address competing peace proposals aimed at ending Russia's nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine. The talks, involving U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak, and representatives from Britain, France, and Germany, centered on a U.S.-drafted 28-point framework and a rival European plan that seeks to bolster Ukraine's security while pressuring Moscow.

The U.S. proposal, presented to Kyiv last week with a deadline for acceptance by Thursday, outlines significant concessions from Ukraine, including territorial adjustments starting from current front lines and a reduction of its armed forces to 600,000 troops. It bars Ukraine from joining NATO and limits the basing of alliance aircraft, while offering security guarantees short of NATO's Article 5 collective defense clause. In exchange, Russia would gradually reintegrate into the global economy, potentially rejoining the G8 group of major industrialized nations, and sanctions could be lifted. The plan also allocates frozen Russian assets,...