'Zero gratitude': Trump lashes out at Kyiv while US-backed 28-point plan faces scrutiny in Geneva

Trump vs Kyiv, again

US President Donald Trump on Sunday accused Ukraine of showing 'zero gratitude' for American efforts to end the war with Russia, even as US, Ukrainian and European negotiators gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss a draft 'peace plan.'

Posting on Truth Social, Trump described the war as a 'human catastrophe,' said he had 'inherited' a conflict that should never have happened, and criticised Europe for continuing to buy Russian oil. He also said the US was selling large volumes of weapons to NATO for distribution to Ukraine, contrasting this with what he called predecessor Joe Biden’s policy of giving support “for free.”

Trump did not assign blame to Russia for starting the war in his post.

What the 28-point plan asks of Ukraine

The negotiations focus on a 28-point proposal that would require Ukraine to make major concessions to Moscow, according to officials cited in US and European media. The plan envisages:

Ukraine handing over territory to Russia,
limits on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces, and
Ukraine committing to not join NATO.

European officials have raised objections to provisions that constrain Ukraine’s sovereignty, including the NATO clause and military caps, and have said borders cannot be changed by force.

Who wrote the plan? A public dispute breaks out

The plan’s origins have become a parallel fight.

Poland’s president Donald Tusk publicly asked where the document came from after reports suggested it was drafted in Moscow. “It would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created,” he wrote on X.

According to the account circulating among European and US officials, the text was drawn up by Kirill Dmitriev, an envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, together with Trump’s special representative Steve Witkoff.

Adding to the confusion, a group of US senators said Secretary of State Marco Rubio told them the plan was not American and had been received from Russia before being passed on to Kyiv. Rubio later insisted the US had authored the proposal with input from both Russia and Ukraine.

Trump softens his deadline

Trump had earlier pushed for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept the framework by Thursday. Amid backlash from European capitals and some Republicans, Trump stepped back, saying the proposal was 'not my final offer,' leaving room for revisions.

Inside Geneva: US and Ukraine meet with Europe in the room

Rubio and Witkoff arrived in Geneva on Sunday, joined by US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, to meet a Ukrainian delegation led by Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak. Ukrainian officials also held consultations with representatives from France, Germany and the UK ahead of the US session.

Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is working constructively on steps proposed by the US, but has also described the choice Kyiv faces as stark: accept terms that could undercut national interests or risk losing a major ally.