In Geneva, US and Ukraine officials report progress on ending Russia’s war but offer few specifics

GENEVA AP Top U S and Ukrainian authorities stated Sunday they d made progress toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war but provided scant details after discussing the American proposal to achieve peace that has sparked concerns among several of Washington s European allies that the plan is too conciliatory to Moscow U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared high-stakes talks in Geneva were very worthwhile and constituted the preponderance productive day in a very long time I feel very optimistic that we can get something done Rubio stated But he offered very little information on what was discussed He also downplayed a Thursday deadline set by President Donald Trump for Ukraine to respond to the plan saying absolutely that executives want to see fighting stop as soon as accomplishable and that authorities could keep negotiating Monday and beyond He disclosed that higher-level administrators may eventually have to get involved This is a very delicate moment Rubio disclosed of what still needed to be worked out Particular of it is semantics or language Others require higher-level decisions and consultations Others I think just need more time to work through The -point blueprint drawn up by the U S to end the nearly four-year war has sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has explained his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American backing it demands The Ukrainian leader has vowed that his people will constantly defend their home The proposal acquiesces to a great number of Russian demands that Zelenskyy has categorically rejected on dozens of occasions including giving up large pieces of territory In a subsequent declaration Sunday night the White House announced the Ukrainian delegation affirmed that all of their principal concerns assurance guarantees long-term economic advancement infrastructure protection freedom of navigation and political sovereignty were thoroughly addressed during the meeting It added that the Ukrainians expressed appreciation for the structured approach taken to incorporate their feedback into each component of the emerging settlement framework The White House mentioned changes made to the proposal now reflect their national interests and provide credible and enforceable mechanisms to safeguard Ukraine s safeguard in both the near and long term But language of such positive attempts came only after concerns about the original Trump-endorsed deal intensified A bipartisan group of U S senators stated Rubio communicated them Saturday that the plan had originated with Russia and was definitely a wish list for Moscow rather than a serious push for peace German Chancellor Friedrich Merz revealed that he d spoken to Trump and made clear there were selected parts of the plans key European nations could agree on but others where they could not I described him that we are fully in line with Ukraine that the sovereignty of this country must not be jeopardized Merz disclosed in an interview with DW Rubio touts progress on talks saying efforts will continue Rubio called the U S proposal a living breathing document that would continue changing He also made clear though that any final product once it s ready will still have to be presented to Moscow obviously the Russians get a vote here The head of the Ukrainian delegation presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak reported of the talks We have made very good progress and are moving forward to a just and lasting peace he explained The rosy assessment of what was discussed defied Trump himself Before talks began the president blasted Ukraine for a lack of gratitude for U S military assistance while shying away from criticizing Russia Trump has set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to respond to the plan but also suggested it could slide if there was proof of real progress He also noted that the plan was not his final offer without offering further details on what that meant UKRAINE LEADERSHIP HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA Trump posted on his social media site Sunday morning After Trump s post Zelenskyy cheered U S -led efforts on defense while also stressing that the crux of the entire diplomatic situation is that it was Russia and only Russia that started this war Ukraine is grateful to the United States to every American heart and personally to President Trump Zelenskyy wrote in a post on Telegram adding We thank everyone in Europe It is major not to forget the main goal to stop Russia s war and prevent it from ever igniting again he added Ukraine and allies have ruled out territorial concessions Before convening with U S administrators Yermak and his crew also met with national assurance advisers from the U K France and Germany The allies have rallied around Kyiv in a push to revise the plan Alice Rufo France s minister delegate at the Defense Ministry communicated broadcaster France Info before the talks began that key points of discussion would include the plan s restrictions on the Ukrainian army which she described as a limitation on its sovereignty Ukraine must be able to defend itself she mentioned Russia wants war and waged war various times in fact over the past years On Sunday Zelenskyy mentioned that there was an understanding the U S would take into account a number of elements in a peace deal that are key for Ukraine but did not elaborate further There have already been brief reports from the organization about the results of the first meetings and conversations he declared There is now an understanding that the American proposals may take into account a number of elements based on the Ukrainian vision and are critically pivotal for Ukraine s national interests Rubio s broadcasted comments cause confusion Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated Sunday that Warsaw was ready to work on the plan with the leaders of Europe Canada and Japan but also disclosed that it would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created Specific U S lawmakers disclosed Saturday that Rubio had described the plan as a Russian wish list rather than a Washington-led proposal A U S State Department spokesperson explained that account was blatantly false On his way to Geneva Rubio then took the extraordinary step of suggesting online that the senators were mistaken even though they commented he was their source for the information The issue was still causing a stir on Sunday The top Democrat on the U S Senate Intelligence Committee Sen Mark Warner recounted ABC s This Week that the peace plan appeared to be almost a series of Russian talking points had made Europeans feel like they ve been totally left high and dry and had led to ferocious pushback Turkish leader plans talk with Putin Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reported that he would hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday He explained he would talk to Putin about reviving a previous deal from July that allowed Ukraine to safely ship exports of grain via the Black Sea The agreement stayed in place until the following year when Putin refused to extend it saying that a parallel agreement promising to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertilizer hadn t been honored We had a grain corridor endeavor to open the path to peace Erdogan announced Unfortunately we were only partially able to succeed The coming day I will be asking Putin to revisit the endeavor Erdogan s new diplomatic push comes just days after he met with Zelenskyy in Ankara