Changes made to US-Russia peace plan as EU leaders welcome progress

Ukraine has significantly amended the US peace plan to end the conflict, removing some of Russia's maximalist demands, people familiar with the negotiations said yesterday, as European leaders said no deal could be reached quickly.

- Luke Harding Kyiv Jon Henley Pjotr Sauer

Volodymyr Zelenskyy may meet Donald Trump in the White House this week amid a flurry of calls between Kyiv and Washington. Ukraine is pressing for Europe to be involved in the talks.

The original 28-point US-Russian plan was drawn up last month by Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's special envoy, and Trump's representative Steve Witkoff. It calls on Ukraine to withdraw from cities it controls in the eastern Donbas region, limit the size of its army and not to join Nato.

During negotiations on Sunday in Switzerland led by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, the plan was substantially revised. It now includes only 19 points. Kyiv and its European partners say the existing frontline has to be the starting point for territorial discussions.

They say there can be no recognition of land seized by Russia, and that Kyiv should be free to decide to join the EU and Nato - something the Kremlin objects to.

Ukraine's first deputy foreign minister, Sergiy Kyslytsya, told the Financial Times such issues had been "placed in brackets" for Trump and Zelenskyy to decide upon later.

Rubio hailed Sunday's talks as "very very positive". Writing on Truth Social yesterday, Trump, who days earlier had accused Ukraine's leadership of having "zero gratitude", also struck a positive tone.

Ukraine's delegation briefed Zelenskyy about the talks yesterday after returning to Kyiv from Geneva.

They described the latest version of the plan as more realistic. Separately, Zelenskyy spoke to the US vice-president, JD Vance, and urged him to involve European countries in the process. Vance reportedly agreed.