Following talks in Geneva, the United States and Ukraine announced that they have developed a"refreshed and refined peace framework" to end the war with Russia. The new proposal modifies an earlier version from the Trump administration to address concerns from Kyiv and its allies about an overly pro-Moscow stance.

Reuters reports that the United States and Ukraine have announced a"renewed and refined peace framework" to end the war with Russia. This new framework modifies an earlier proposal drafted by the Trump administration, which was seen by Kyiv and its allies as overly biased towards Moscow.

Following the meeting between the US and Ukrainian delegations in Geneva, the two sides issued a joint statement saying the discussions were"productive" and would continue in the coming days. However, the statement did not provide details on several pressing issues, including how to ensure Kyiv is protected from threats posed by Russia.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who chaired the talks, said much work remains, including issues such as NATO's role, but his team has scaled back the unresolved parts of Trump's 28-point Ukraine peace plan."And we've made very substantial progress in this area today," Rubio told reporters.

Earlier, Trump accused Ukraine of being"ungrateful" for the U.S. efforts in the war, prompting Ukrainian officials to emphasize that Kyiv is grateful for the U.S. president's support.

European officials joined the consultations between the US and Ukrainian delegations after they proposed a revised version of the US plan. The European plan opposes restrictions on the size of Ukraine's armed forces and potential territorial cessions. The European plan argues that Ukraine should be allowed a larger military than the original US proposal, and that negotiations on land exchange should begin on the existing front lines, rather than from the premise of which areas"should be considered Russian territory."

Trump stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy must approve the plan by the 27th. The plan demands that Ukraine cede some territory, accept military limitations, and abandon its aspirations to join NATO. For many Ukrainians, including soldiers fighting on the front lines, these conditions amount to surrender after nearly four years of grueling fighting in the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. Trump claimed that this proposal is not the final version.

Rubio stated that the US still needs time to address outstanding issues. He hopes to reach an agreement by the 27th, but also hinted that it may take longer.

Two sources familiar with the matter said that U.S. and Ukrainian officials are discussing arrangements for Zelensky's possible visit to the U.S., possibly as early as this week, to discuss the most sensitive issues in the peace plan with Trump, such as territorial disputes. No specific date has been set.

The origins of the US proposal have sparked controversy.

The atmosphere was tense during the main talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials at the U.S. mission after Trump posted on his own social media platform, Truth Social, complaining that Ukrainian leaders were"unappreciative" of U.S. efforts and that Europe was still buying Russian oil.

Rubio even walked out of the meeting midway through to tell reporters that this might be the"most successful" meeting between the US and Ukraine since Trump's return to politics. He said,"Ultimately, this still requires our president's approval, but based on the progress we've made so far, I'm very confident we can achieve it."

During a brief recess, Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian delegation, repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Trump. A few minutes later, Zelensky also thanked Trump. Yermak did not reappear with Rubio at the end of the talks.

Since the release of the US version of the peace plan, its formulation process has been fraught with chaos. European allies have stated that they were not consulted. Before traveling to Geneva, Rubio insisted in X that the plan was drafted by Washington, but previous comments from some US senators suggested otherwise. Senator Angus King stated that Rubio told senators that the plan was not the government's official position, but rather"Russia's list of wishes."

Ukraine is in a dangerous moment.

This US draft bill covers several of Russia's core demands and offers only vague"strong security guarantees" to Ukraine, at a time when Kyiv is in an extremely dangerous situation.

Russian forces have made slow but steady progress in some frontline areas, and according to Western and Ukrainian officials, this has come at a high cost in terms of personnel. Parts of the transportation hub Pokrovsk have been captured by Russian forces, and Ukrainian commanders have stated that their forces are insufficient to stop the small-scale, sustained Russian infiltration. Ukraine's power and gas infrastructure has been subjected to heavy attacks by drones and missiles, leaving millions without water, heating, and electricity for several hours each day.

A major corruption scandal has also put Zelensky under domestic political pressure, affecting several ministers and high-ranking officials around him.

Zelensky warned that Ukraine could lose its dignity and freedom, or lose Washington's support, in the face of the US proposal.

In recent weeks, morale in Kyiv surged following increased US sanctions on Russia's oil industry (a major source of war funding) and significant damage inflicted on the sector by Ukraine's own long-range drones and missiles. However, this US peace draft appears to relinquish diplomatic initiative to Moscow. Ukraine is heavily reliant on US intelligence and weaponry in its war with Russia.