Global media outlets discussed the text of the "peace plan" of 28 points, which was claimed to be developed by representatives of the US and Russia, for several days. The document met with sharp criticism in Europe and Ukraine because it contained almost no concessions to Kyiv compared to the 2022 Istanbul agreement draft, but embodied new advantages for Moscow.
Authorship Conflict: Who is Responsible?
More than the content of the plan, who the author was raised big questions. A group of Republican senators stated that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told them that this proposal was received as a document representing a list of Russian wishes, not one developed by Washington.
However, the State Department and Rubio himself publicly denied this claim on Twitter (X), stating that "the peace proposal was developed by the US." CNN described this open rebuttal as a "confusing and potentially embarrassing turn." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also wrote that "before starting work, it would be preferable to clarify who the author of the plan is and where it was created."
Linguistic Doubts and Kremlin Terminology
The British newspaper The Guardian noted that some phrases in the plan's text sounded unnatural in English and resembled a word-for-word translation from Russian. For example, the passive construction "It is expected" was said to be an awkward translation of the Russian verb "ожидается" (ozhidayetsya). Furthermore, the fact that the document referred to the occupied territories of Ukraine using the term "new territories"—used by the Kremlin—also heightened suspicions.
US Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff also contributed to this conflict, responding to the author of Axios that he might have gotten the information about the plan from Kirill Dmitriev, and then deleted the message.
Geneva Negotiations: The New 19-Point Document
Despite the doubts about authorship, the plan became the starting point for discussions. Representatives of Ukraine and the West announced that an updated "framework document" for achieving peace in Ukraine was developed during "effective negotiations" in Geneva. According to the FT, the original 28-point plan was reduced to 19 points. Controversial provisions such as reducing the size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, full amnesty, and allocating $100 billion from Russia's frozen assets were removed from the document.
Oleksandr Bevz, an advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine, emphasized that the final decisions on the most problematic issues must be made by Presidents Trump and Zelensky. At the same time, the Kremlin stated that it considers the 28-point draft the "only meaningful option" and called the updated 19-point plan unacceptable.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
Users of Меҳмон are not allowed to comment this publication.
