Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff (2nd from L) and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (3rd from L) at talks on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Geneva, Switzerland, November 23, 2025

Sunday’s Coverage: US Legislators — Trump-Kremlin Ultimatum is “Russian Proposal”

UPDATE 1217 GMT:

Spokesperson Paula Pinho says the European Union welcomed the constructive progress in the Geneva talks but “a lot of work remains to be done”.

EU leaders will have further discussions on the sidelines of the EU-Africa summit in Angola on Monday. The Coalition of the Willing will meet on video on Tuesday.

Pinho emphasized the EU’s three red lines: borders cannot be changed by force, no limitations on Ukrainian armed forces, and return of all Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

“It is critical that the aggressor, Russia, pays for the destruction,” the spokesperson said, with talks on the use of the Russian frozen assets through a Ukraine reparations loan “even more urgent now”.

After the EU leaders meeting, European Council President António Costa welcomed “the new momentum” in talks. While “some issues remain to be solved, the direction is positive,” he declared.

Costa added, “It is also clear that the issues that concern directly the European Union, such as sanctions enlargement or immobilised assets, require the full involvement and decision by the European Union.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed, “While work remains to be done, there is now a solid basis for moving forward. As we do, we must remain united and keep placing Ukraine’s best interest at the centre of our efforts.”

She emphasized:

Moving forward, Ukraine’s territory and sovereignty must be respected. Only Ukraine, as a sovereign country, can make decisions regarding its armed forces.

The choice of their destiny is in their own hands. I also want to emphasise Europe’s centrality in the country’s future.

UPDATE 1212 GMT:

Donald Trump has embraced the Ukraine-Europe response to his ultimatum alongside the Kremlin:

Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine??? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

UPDATE 0953 GMT:

President Volodymyr Zelensky has told the Crimea Platform parliamentary summit in Sweden that Ukraine was “working closely with the US, with European partners, and many, many others to define steps that can end Russia’s war against us…and bring real security”.

Zelensky said borders must not be changed by force as “the core principle that kept Europe peaceful longer than at any other time in its history must be respected”. However, Vladimir Putin wants to get “legal recognition for what he has stolen to break the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty”.

He praised Sunday’s Geneva talks, saying they agreed on “extremely sensitive” points on the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war and of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. But he added:

To achieve real peace, more is needed.

We all continue working with partners, especially the United States, and look for compromises that strengthen but not weaken us, and we will continue explaining how dangerous it is to pretend that aggression is something one can simply overlook and move on.

Leaders must “not be passive observers of history” and must “not stay silent”. They must defend the principles “that borders cannot be changed by force, that war criminals must not escaped justice, and that the aggressor must pay fully for the war it started”.

UPDATE 0639 GMT:

In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has said of Sunday’s developments in Geneva.

Diplomacy has been reinvigorated — and this is good. We expect the outcome to deliver the right steps. And the first priority is a reliable peace, guaranteed security, respect for our people, and respect for everyone who gave their lives defending Ukraine from Russian aggression.

UPDATE 0634 GMT:

Russian forces have executed another five Ukrainian prisoners of war, asssesses the monitor DeepState.

Video shows the moment that the Russian troops shot the POWs as they were lying on the ground. DeepState is investigating when and where the executions were carried out.

Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating evidence of Russian executions of at least 322 POWs.

UPDATE 0628 GMT:

Four civilians have been murdered and 17 wounded, including children aged 11 and 12, by a Russian drone strike on Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv.

Oleg Synegubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, described Sunday’s attack on two city districts as “massive”. Three residential buildings and an infrastructure facility were set on fire.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Working with Ukrainian partners in Geneva and meeting a US delegation, European countries have crafted a counter-proposal to the Trump-Kremlin 28-point ultimatum.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had worked to pull back the Trump-Kremlin ultimatum, hailed the progress in comments to reporters in Switzerland.

Ukraine and Europe came to the Sunday’s discussions facing the 28 points, drafted initially by the Kremlin and advanced in consultations between Vladimir Putin’s senior economic advisor Kirill Dmitriev and Donald Trump’s envoy, real estate developer Steve Witkoff. In a profanity-filled lecture in Kyiv, Army Secretary and investment banker Dan Driscoll threatened the Ukrainians with consequences if they did not accept by this Thursday.

But Rubio gave Ukraine and Europe space to maneuver by briefing US legislators, who went public at a security conference in Canada, about the origin and leaking of the ultimatum as the “wish list of the Russians” — even if the Secretary of State later denied his remarks.

The Ukraine-Europe plan

The Ukraine-Europe plan begins with a ceasefire, based on the current frontlines, under US supervision. In contrast, the Trump-Kremlin document only provides for a ceasefire after the Russian conditions are accepted, including Ukraine’s handover of the remainder of the Donetsk region in the east of the country.

The Europeans do not rule out Ukrainian membership of NATO while noting that there is no consensus at this time. Ukraine’s armed forces will be capped during peacetime at 800,000 personnel, 200,000 more than in the Trump-Kremlin draft.

Frozen Russian assets will be used solely to reconstruct Ukraine, rather than the Trump-Kremlin guarantee of the US taking 50% of the profits. The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in southern Ukraine will be administered by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which will split power 50-50 between Kyiv and Moscow.

If Russia respects a “sustainable peace”, international sanctions imposed will be gradually eased and Moscow will return to the G8 nations.

Rubio said of “the most productive and meaningful meeting we’ve had throughout this entire process”: “I think we made a tremendous amount of progress. We’ve really moved forward, so I feel very optimistic that we’re going to get there in a very reasonable period of time, very soon.”