By Peter AitkenShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberEuropean officials are set to offer Russian President Vladimir Putin a return to the G8 as part of peace talks to finally end the conflict in Ukraine, with the war just months away from marking four years since Russia initiated its invasion of the Eastern European nation, according to Reuters.
The phased re-integration into the global economy is part of a European counterproposal drafted in Geneva by officials looking to offer Russia an off-ramp, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling reporters it was the "best meeting and day we've had so far in this entire process."
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry by email on Sunday evening for comment.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Ukraine to accept a peace deal with Russia, with warnings that failure to get on board with the deal could lead to a decline in key military and intelligence support for Kyiv.
The 28-point plan, crafted by the Trump administration and Moscow without Ukraine involvement, would see Kyiv concede on a number of points that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly rejected in the past, such as giving up territory in Eastern Ukraine and limiting the country's military size.
Trump heavily criticized Ukrainian officials of having "zero gratitude" about the peace deal, while also accusing European nations of buying Russian oil.
...What To Know
Zelensky in his regular evening address posted to social media said he would attend the talks in Switzerland, where "the teams will work practically into the night" to thrash out a counterproposal, saying: "It is important that there is a conversation with American representatives, and there are signals that President Trump's team is hearing us."
European officials, spearheaded by British officials, on Sunday announced their own 28-point peace plan that looks to make different concession to Russia in an effort to appease Putin without breaking on key points for Ukraine, such as the question of territorial integrity, which Zelensky in the past has underscored as a non-starter for negotiations.
One point on which European officials did not deviate from Trump was agreeing to cap the Ukrainian military, which currently stands at around 850,000, although European officials have agreed to a higher cap of around 800,000 troops compared to the Trump administration's cap of 600,000, and far more than Russia's previously proposed cap of 85,000, according to The Telegraph.
But a key proposal includes bringing Russia back into the G8. Moscow was excluded from the forum starting in 2014 after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine, marking a significant concession from Europeans.
Zelensky praised the progress made with the European proposal, saying that "much is changing" and that it appears "there are signs that President Trump’s team is listening” to their concerns.
Rubio in response called the recent talks "tremendous progress" and "great strides" that have left some items open that are "not insurmountable."
"I honestly think we will get there," Rubio told reporters, adding that the Thursday deadline is flexible. "The deadline is we want to get this done as soon as possible. Whether it’s Thursday, Friday, Wednesday, Monday the following week... our goal is to get this done as soon as possible."
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, in part: "Everyone is offering support, giving advice, providing information — and I am grateful to each and every person who is giving this help to us, to Ukraine. It is important to ensure that the steps to end the war are effective, and that everything is doable. Ukraine has never wanted war, and we will never be an obstacle to peace."
A U.S. State Department readout of the peace talks sent to Newsweek, in part: "Today, Secretary Rubio, Special Envoy Witkoff, Mr. Jared Kushner, and Secretary Driscoll held an extensive and productive meeting with the Ukrainian delegation to review the latest draft agreements under discussion. The conversation was candid, detailed, and conducted in a spirit of partnership and shared purpose."
"Secretary Rubio and his team reiterated the United States’ firm commitment to ensuring that Ukraine’s sovereignty, security, and future prosperity remain central to the ongoing diplomatic process. They emphasized that this work is driven by President Trump’s goal of ending a war that has taken the lives of millions of people and preventing further loss of life through a durable and enforceable peace. Both sides welcomed the steady progress made and agreed to continue consultations as the agreements move toward final refinement."
What Is Included in the European 28-Point Plan?
The full text of the plan is as follows, reported by Reuters:
1. Ukraine's sovereignty to be reconfirmed.
2. There will be a total and complete non-aggression agreement reached between Russia and Ukraine and NATO. All ambiguities from the last 30 years will be resolved.
(Point 3 of U.S. plan is deleted. A draft of that plan seen by Reuters said: "There will be the expectation that Russia will not invade its neighbours and NATO will not expand further.")
4. After a peace agreement is signed, a dialogue between Russia and NATO will convene to address all security concerns and create a de-escalatory environment to ensure global security and increase the opportunity for connectivity and future economic opportunity.
5. Ukraine will receive robust Security Guarantees
6. Size of Ukraine military to be capped at 800,000 in peacetime.
7. Ukraine joining NATO depends on consensus of NATO members, which does not exist.
8. NATO agrees not to permanently station troops under its command in Ukraine in peacetime.
9. NATO fighter jets will be stationed in Poland
10. US guarantee that mirrors Article 5
a. US to receive compensation for the guarantee
b. If Ukraine invades Russia, it forfeits the guarantee
c. If Russia invades Ukraine, in addition to a robust coordinated military response, all global sanctions will be restored and any kind of recognition for the new territory and all other benefits from this agreement will be withdrawn.
11. Ukraine is eligible for EU membership and will get short-term preferred market access to Europe while this is being evaluated
12. Robust Global Redevelopment Package for Ukraine including but not limited to:
a. Creation of Ukraine Development fund to invest in high growth industries including technology, data centres and Al efforts
b. The United States will partner with Ukraine to jointly restore, grow, modernize and operate Ukraine's gas infrastructure, which includes its pipeline and storage facilities
c. A joint effort to redevelop areas impacted by the war to restore, redevelop and modernize cities and residential areas
d. Infrastructure development
e. Mineral and natural resource extraction
f. A special financing package will be developed by the World Bank to provide financing to accelerate these efforts.
13. Russia to be progressively re-integrated into the global economy
a. Sanction relief will be discussed and agreed upon in phases and on a case-by-case basis.
b. The United States will enter into a long-term Economic Cooperation Agreement to pursue mutual development in the areas of energy, natural resources, infrastructure, AI, datacenters, rare earths, joint projects in the Arctic, as well as various other mutually beneficial corporate opportunities.
c. Russia to be invited back into the G8
14. Ukraine will be fully reconstructed and compensated financially, including through Russian sovereign assets that will remain frozen until Russia compensates damage to Ukraine.
15. A joint Security taskforce will be established with the participation of US, Ukraine, Russia and the Europeans to promote and enforce all of the provisions of this agreement
16. Russia will legislatively enshrine a non-aggression policy towards Europe and Ukraine
17. The United States and Russia agree to extend nuclear non-proliferation and control treaties, including Fair Start
18. Ukraine agrees to remain a non-nuclear state under the NPT
19. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant will be restarted under supervision of the IAEA, and the produced power shall be shared equitably in a 50-50 split between Russia and Ukraine.
20. Ukraine will adopt EU rules on religious tolerance and the protection of linguistic minorities.
21. Territories
Ukraine commits not to recover its occupied sovereign territory through military means. Negotiations on territorial swaps will start from the Line of Contact.
22. Once future territorial arrangements have been agreed, both the Russian Federation and Ukraine undertake not to change these arrangements by force. Any security guarantees will not apply if there is a breach of this obligation
23. Russia shall not obstruct Ukraine's use of the Dnieper River for purposes of commercial activities, and agreements will be reached for grain shipments to move freely through the Black Sea
24. A humanitarian committee will be established to resolve open issues:
a. All remaining prisoners and bodies will be exchanged on the principle of All for All
b. All civilian detainees and hostages will be returned, including children
c. There will be a family reunification program
d. Provisions will be made to address the suffering of victims from the conflict
25. Ukraine will hold elections as soon as possible after the signing of the peace agreement.
26. Provision will be made to address the suffering of victims of the conflict.
27. This agreement will be legally binding. Its implementation will be monitored and guaranteed by a Board of Peace, chaired by President Donald J. Trump. There will be penalties for violation.
28. Upon all sides agreeing to this memorandum, a ceasefire will be immediately effective upon both parties withdrawing to the agreed upon points for the implementation of the agreement to begin. Ceasefire modalities, including monitoring, will be agreed by both parties under US supervision.
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