The 28-point plan recently revealed as a potential pathway to resolve the ongoing Ukraine crisis was drafted by the United States itself, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
He claims the proposal incorporates viewpoints from both Russia and Ukraine. However, several US senators have rejected this, arguing that the proposal did not originate from Washington. They say the US received the plan from another source and then forwarded it to Ukraine.
Reuters reported this information on Sunday (23 November).
In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Secretary Marco Rubio wrote, “The proposal has been presented as a strong framework for ongoing discussions. It includes Russia’s views as well as Ukraine’s previous and current positions.”
Earlier on Saturday, at a conference in Halifax, Republican Senator Mike Rounds told reporters that Rubio personally called him and several other senators, informing them that the US received the proposal from elsewhere and simply delivered it to Ukraine.
Rounds added, “He (Marco Rubio) made it clear — we only received a proposal, and that is what was delivered by one of our representatives. It is not our recommendation, nor is it our plan.”
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, former President Donald Trump said, “We want peace. This should have been achieved long ago. This war between Ukraine and Russia should never have happened. We are trying to end it. One way or another, it must be ended.”
Trump further said that if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejects the plan, “he can continue the war on his own terms if he wants.”
The US-drafted proposal reportedly requires Ukraine to cede more territory to Russia, limit the size of its military, and formally halt its bid to join NATO. Trump has given Zelensky until Thursday to respond.
