Talks Begin Tomorrow.. Witkoff Heads to Geneva to Discuss Ukraine Peace Plan

An American official reported today, Saturday, that Switzerland will host talks tomorrow, Sunday, regarding the next steps to achieve peace in Ukraine, while Washington pressures Kyiv to provide its response to the American plan next week.

To Geneva

The official added that special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive tomorrow, Sunday, to participate in the talks hosted by Geneva, according to Reuters.

This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a presidential decree today, Saturday, to conduct talks with Russia and the United States.

The Russian news agency TASS reported that Zelensky signed a decree to form a Ukrainian delegation to negotiate with the United States and Russia to reach a settlement that ends the war and achieves peace.

It added that the Ukrainian president appointed his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, as the head of the delegation, along with 9 other members.

The list also includes, in addition to Yermak, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, Head of the Main Directorate of Military Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Hnatov, and Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Oleg Ivashchenko, according to TASS.

Additionally, the Ukrainian president's office stated today, Saturday, that Kyiv will consult with its partners regarding steps to end the Russian war on Ukraine in the coming days.

According to a statement published on the Telegram app, the president gave directives for the relevant negotiations, emphasizing that Ukraine will never be an obstacle to peace.

He also stated: "Representatives of the Ukrainian state will defend the legitimate interests of the Ukrainian people and the foundations of European security."

These developments came after several European leaders at the G20 summit welcomed the American president Donald Trump's plan aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

However, they confirmed in a statement today, Saturday, that the proposed plan requires "more work." They said: "We believe that the draft American plan consisting of 28 points forms a basis that requires additional work."

Painful concessions

The American proposal stipulated that Kyiv concede the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine as well as Crimea, freeze the front lines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia, which Moscow has illegally annexed, while Russian forces withdraw from other areas in Kharkiv, so that Ukraine hands over 2,300 square kilometers to Russia, an area equivalent to Luxembourg, as it must relinquish nearly 5,000 square kilometers in the Donetsk region, which is supposed to become a "buffer zone," and another 45 square kilometers in Luhansk.

In return, Moscow withdraws its forces from parts of Kharkiv (2,000 square kilometers), Dnipropetrovsk (450 square kilometers), Sumy (300 square kilometers), and Chernihiv (20 square kilometers).

Additionally, the plan stipulated that Kyiv abandon its pursuit of NATO membership and settle for joining the European Union, not agreeing to the deployment of international forces within its territory, in addition to holding elections within 100 days. The proposal also indicated that the United States would provide security guarantees to Kyiv.

In this context, an American official clarified that the draft peace agreement includes a commitment from Washington and its European allies to provide security guarantees similar to those of NATO, pledging to respond to any future attacks against Ukraine.

Furthermore, $100 billion of frozen Russian assets will be allocated for the reconstruction of Ukraine.