US denies pushing Russian 'wish list' as Ukraine plan

WASHINGTON insisted at the weekend that its Ukraine proposal is indeed official US policy, denying claims by a group of senators that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told them the document under discussion is just a Russian “wish list”.

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The dispute over the 28-point plan ~ which cedes Ukrainian territory long sought by Moscow ~ threw an extraordinary element of confusion into efforts to negotiate an end to the war.

US President Donald Trump has pushed the plan, pressuring the Ukrainians to accept it within days. Negotiators were expected to meet in Switzerland yesterday.

However, after a storm of criticism that the proposal is almost entirely favourable to Moscow, several US senators spoke out, holding a press conference at the Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, Canada at the weekend.

The senators - Republican Mike Rounds, independent Angus King, and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen — said Rubio told them the current Ukraine proposal is not the official US position, but instead lays out a “Russian wish list.”