European officials welcomed Monday what they said were steps in the right direction at talks in Geneva on U.S. peace proposals seen as heavily favoring Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, but they offered few details and warned the discussions still have a long way to go.
“The negotiations were a step forward, but there are still major issues which remain to be resolved,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote on social platform X about Sunday’s meeting in Switzerland.
The talks went over a 28-point peace proposal presented last week by the United States that triggered alarm in Kyiv and European capitals by heavily favoring Moscow’s demands.
The plan pressed Ukraine to consent to handing over some of its territory to Moscow and slashing the size of its army, leaving it vulnerable. The proposal also sought Europe’s agreement that Ukraine will never be admitted into the NATO military alliance, though the alliance has previously said Ukraine is on an “irreversible path” to membership.
The surprise emergence of the peace plan coincided with a bleak period for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the war less than three months shy of its fourth anniversary.
It is under severe strain on the front line against Russia’s bigger army, it is short of money, and Zelenskyy is trying to defuse a major corruption scandal that has tainted his government.
The Geneva meeting offered some hope for Kyiv. “Diplomacy has been reinvigorated, and that’s good. Very good,” Zelenskyy said late Sunday.
It wasn’t clear whether the talks would continue on Monday. Crucially, the Kremlin has not yet voiced its opinion on the latest developments.
German Foreign Minister Johannes Wadephul said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who directed the talks in Switzerland, “made decisive positive contributions to ensuring that this plan can be accepted by both the European and Ukrainian sides.”
“I would like to say that all issues concerning Europe or NATO have been removed from this plan, which is a decisive success that we achieved yesterday,” he told public broadcaster Deutschlandradio.
Rubio said Sunday the talks were “very worthwhile” and constituted the most productive day in “a very long time.”
“I feel very optimistic that we can get something done,” Rubio said.
However, the grim reality of war still cast a pall over Ukraine as Russian forces kept up their deadly and devastating strikes on civilian areas.
Russian drones hit residential areas of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city overnight, killing four people and wounding 13, including two children, authorities said.
Eight residential buildings, an educational facility and power lines were damaged in the attack, according to the head of the regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov.
Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office published photos showing homes on fire, rubble scattered across backyards and firefighters and war crimes prosecutors working on site.
Ukraine’s air force says Russia fired 162 strike and decoy drones over the country overnight.
Russia also resumed its nighttime drone attacks on Ukraine’s civilian and port infrastructure close to Romania’s border, the NATO member’s defense ministry said Monday.
Romania scrambled two Eurofighter Typhoon jets and two F-16s in response to drones near its border, the ministry said.
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