Secretary Rubio Insists US Penned 28-Point Ukraine Peace Plan Amid Russia ‘Wish List’ Claims

WASHINGTON—  US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stepped in to forcefully assert American ownership of the proposed 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine, directly contradicting a Republican Senator who claimed the draft was a Russian proposal.

The public dispute underscores the intense political and diplomatic tension surrounding the plan, which has been widely viewed as heavily favorable to Moscow.

The controversy exploded after Republican Senator Mike Rounds told the Halifax Security Forum that Rubio had assured a group of lawmakers that the draft was not US policy, but rather a proposal presented to Trump envoy Steve Witkoff by “someone… representing Russia.” Rounds characterized the plan as a Russian “wish list.”

Shortly after, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott called Rounds’s account “blatantly false.” Rubio then took to social media himself, stating:

“The peace proposal was authored by the US. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”

Rubio is currently in Geneva, Switzerland, for critical Sunday talks with Ukrainian and European security officials, including Witkoff and representatives from the UK, France, and Germany.

The urgency for these talks is driven by the immediate and strong pushback from Ukraine’s allies. In a joint statement issued at the G20 summit in South Africa, leaders from 11 countries, including Germany, France, and the UK, publicly rejected the plan, saying it “would leave Ukraine vulnerable to attack.”

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that the plan “cannot simply be an American proposal,” demanding any agreement must guarantee security for “all Europeans.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added that the parties were “still quite a long way from a good outcome for everyone.”

The details of the plan, which US President Donald Trump has called for Kyiv to agree to swiftly, include proposals Ukraine has ruled out:

Ukrainian troops would withdraw from the part of the eastern Donetsk region they currently control, cementing de facto Russian control over Donetsk, Luhansk, and the annexed Crimea peninsula. The borders of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions would be frozen along current battle lines.

Ukraine would be obliged to limit the size of its armed forces.

Kyiv would receive “reliable security guarantees,” though no details have been made public.

The document states “it is expected” that Russia will not invade its neighbors, and NATO will not expand further.

In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had previously warned the country faced “one of the most difficult moments in our history” over US pressure, announced that his head of office Andriy Yermak would lead Ukraine’s negotiating team for all future peace talks.