SecState Distances U.S. From ‘Unacceptable’ Ukraine Proposal – RedState
Wars can’t last forever, but it looks like the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine will drag on for longer. The whole thing has evolved into a sort of high-tech version of the Great War, with the lines mostly stabilized – but with one major difference, which is that both sides use long-range weapons, from artillery to drones, to strike deep into the other side’s rear areas. Geography dictates that Ukraine faces the worst of a conflict like this, and that certainly seems to be what is happening.
On Saturday, I spoke about a so-called peace deal to end the Russian-Ukrainian war, a peace deal that would never be acceptable to Ukraine and which turned out most countries in the European Community were not going to accept it either.
Learn more: EU allies resist Trump’s 28-point Russia-Ukraine peace ultimatum at summit
About this plan:
The plan developed bilaterally between the United States and Russia calls for Ukraine to cede much of its territory, including the entire disputed Donbass region, as well as significantly reduce its military and abandon any claims to Crimea, among other regions.
It was almost certain that Ukraine would not accept this. Today it seems that a large part of the European community will not accept it either.
Today, U.S. lawmakers are backtracking on that plan, saying they were told it was a Russian proposal, not an American one.
U.S. lawmakers sought Saturday to end days of confusion over a leaked Ukraine peace plan, saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured them the document did not represent the Trump administration’s position.
Rubio summoned the bipartisan delegation to the Halifax International Security Forum on Saturday afternoon, they said, as he traveled to Geneva for talks with Ukrainian officials. He described the plan as a Russian proposal, they said, and not a U.S. initiative.
“He made it very clear to us that we were the recipients of a proposal that had been delivered to one of our representatives,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). “It’s not our recommendation. It’s not our peace plan. It’s a proposal that was received, and as an intermediary, we made arrangements to share it – and we didn’t publish it. It was leaked.”
In a message published on his X account, Secretary of State Marco Rubio seems to take a different tone.
The peace proposal was drafted by the United States
It is proposed as a solid framework for the ongoing negotiations
It relies on contributions from the Russian side. But it also builds on Ukraine’s past and current contributions. https://t.co/JWbAQ04kcw
–Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 23, 2025
So what is it?
Learn more: New Trump-brokered Ukraine peace plan promises Russia what it failed to gain in 44 months of brutal war
The current plan begs the question to what extent Ukrainian contribution was involved. This implies, among other things, that Ukraine cedes the entire Donbas region, including those parts that are not currently under Russian rule. This would require Ukraine to empty its military, leaving it open to further Russian aggression. And that would force them to forever renounce all claims to Crimea.
Ukraine will not accept this. I have been saying and writing for some time that Ukraine will not emerge from this affair intact. They lost Crimea and will not get it back. Russia will not cede this charming Black Sea port. The best they could have hoped for was a return to status quo ante 2022, by ceding Crimea and bringing Russia back to the territory before the invasion. But it increasingly looks like they won’t get much.
The talks are still ongoing.
Rubio, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff meet with Ukrainian advisers in Geneva on Sunday before engaging in dialogue with the Russians. European governments dispatch their own envoys to influence the negotiations.
National security advisers from France, Germany and Italy could join, and the leaders of the 27 European Union states are preparing a counterproposal. Many have called the US document a failure.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), also at the forum, said the peace plan included elements that Ukraine and U.S. allies would never accept, including restrictions on adding new members to NATO and the size of Ukraine’s military.
“There are so many things in this plan that are completely unacceptable,” she said. “If we want to have real negotiations, they will really result in a peace agreement for Ukraine and Russia.”
There is much in this plan that much of Europe will certainly find unacceptable. NATO countries are worried about Russian aggression. NATO ally Poland has a long history with Russia that is, let’s say, far from pleasant, and it will almost certainly push for a better deal for Ukraine. Russia appears to have driven a sharp hike on any NATO offer to Ukraine, and will not accept any deal that includes Ukraine joining the alliance, at least formally. Meanwhile, Ukraine will likely refuse any deal that would force it to empty its armed forces.
And Europe cannot continue to invest money in this matter indefinitely.
Talks are ongoing. We will monitor this, as always, and update you as events warrant.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and the bold leadership of his administration, we are respected on the world stage and our enemies are put on notice.
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