Progress on US peace proposals welcomed

EUROPEAN officials said they were comforted by the outcome of discussions on US peace proposals for Ukraine.

- BARRY HATTON

The plans have been viewed as tilted in Russia's favour, but officials did not disclose details of the weekend talks and warned of a long road to peace in Ukraine.

After Sunday's meeting in Switzerland between US and Ukrainian officials, Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote: "The negotiations were a step forward, but there are still major issues which remain to be resolved."

US President Donald Trump suggested that the process could be moving in the right direction.

"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," he wrote in a post on the Truth Social platform.

The talks in Geneva covered a 28-point peace plan presented last week by the United States that triggered alarm in Kyiv and European capitals by heavily favouring Moscow's demands and goals following its invasion of its neighbour nearly four years ago.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the "interim result" of the talks, saying the US proposal "has now been modified in significant parts".