{"id":172924,"date":"2025-11-23T20:27:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T20:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-rubio-says-tremendous-progress-made-at-ukraine-peace-talks-and-hopes-for-deal-very-soon-bbc\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T20:27:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T20:27:18","slug":"ukraine-war-rubio-says-tremendous-progress-made-at-ukraine-peace-talks-and-hopes-for-deal-very-soon-bbc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-rubio-says-tremendous-progress-made-at-ukraine-peace-talks-and-hopes-for-deal-very-soon-bbc\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine war: Rubio says 'tremendous progress' made at Ukraine peace talks and hopes for deal 'very soon' – BBC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ukraine\/US Talks in Geneva
BBC News
This video can not be played
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says a "tremendous amount of progress" has been made<\/a> in talks to finalise a Ukraine peace deal
Talks in Geneva – between delegations from the US, Ukraine, and its European allies – are focusing on a 28-point draft plan and will continue on Monday
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said Ukraine's leaders have shown "zero gratitude"<\/a> over US efforts to end the war
Rubio says he has since spoken to Trump who he says is "quite pleased"<\/a> with the progress made
Trump has called Ukraine ungrateful before, but ever since their White House showdown Ukraine's President Zelensky<\/i> has gone to great lengths to say "thank you"<\/i>, writes our North America correspondent<\/a>
Earlier, Zelensky said his country was grateful to the US and Trump, adding "peace must be dignified"<\/a>
European leaders have criticised the 28-point plan, which is widely considered favourable to Russia – here's what is included in the proposal<\/a>
Edited by Jemma Crew
Shortly before Rubio spoke to the press, Zelensky posted again on social media, saying that as negotiations continue there are "signals that President Trump\u2019s team hears us".
He said it is good that diplomacy has been \u201cactivated\u201d and he expects Monday will also be an active day.
Tomorrow, the delegates in Geneva will keep working toward a peace plan, Rubio says.
The process to negotiate that plan has been ongoing the past three weeks, but has significantly sped up in the last 96 hours, he adds.
Rubio says he has not seen any European counter-proposal to the one being discussed the last few days.
It comes after several media outlets reported they had seen an alternative plan from European allies. The BBC has not seen the document.
And with that, the press conference ends.
Rubio is asked about whether the US is receptive to the idea of providing security guarantees.
He says he won't discuss the details of what is being worked on, but says: "We all recognise that part of getting a final end to this war will require for Ukraine to feel that it is safe."
"That's clearly something that has to be discussed, I think we've made substantial progress on that and other points," he says.
Rubio is asked about President Donald Trump's comments earlier that Ukraine is ungrateful for the US's support.
Rubio says he has spoken to Trump since he made those comments and that the president is now "quite pleased" about the progress the US delegation has made so far in the peace talks.
Asked about the issues that remain in the Ukraine war talks, Rubio says he won't go into detail, saying that this is a delicate moment.
Some the points of contention are about semantics, he says, while others require higher level decisions and consultation and others just need more time to work through.
This is a living, breathing document, Rubio says, adding that it changes every day as the interested parties give more input.
After saying how productive the peace talks have been today, Rubio says that still, he doesn't want to declare victory or finality just yet.
"There's still some work to be done, but we are much further ahead today at this time than we were when we began this morning and where we were a week ago, for certain," Rubio tells the gathered journalists.
Rubio, speaking to the press for the second time today, says negotiators have had a "very good day" and there has been "tremendous amount of progress" in talks about ending the war in Ukraine.
Over the last 96 hours or more there has been extensive engagement with Ukraine, he says.
There was one goal today, he says, to take the points of the plan – which he says were 26 or 28 depending on the version – and to try to narrow which ones were "open items".
He says the parties involved achieved that in a "substantial way", but adds any final agreement will have to be agreed by the presidents, and that there are still a couple of issues they need to continue to work on.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now speaking to reporters in Geneva about today's talks on ending the Ukraine war. We will bring you the top lines here.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Joe Inwood<\/strong>
World news correspondent<\/span>
Whilst President Zelensky and his European allies have chosen their words carefully in reacting to the US Peace Plan, behind the scenes they will be horrified at many of its suggestions, not least the idea of handing over more territory and limiting the size of Ukraine\u2019s armed forces.
But what if that were the point?
Donald Trump has gone from saying Zelensky has until next Thursday to accept the deal, to saying it is \u201cnot a final offer\u201d. That last statement, made to reporters last night, coincided with the news that today\u2019s talks would be taking place. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the plan gave \u201ca strong framework for ongoing negotiations\u201d.
There is a negotiating technique called \u201canchoring\u201d, which Trump has employed and spoken about in the past. It involves starting negotiations with an outrageous or unrealistic proposal, throwing the other side off balance and shifting the debate to your territory.
The theory goes that you can then back down from your original position, allowing the other side to feel they have won, while in reality you have.
Could it be that the 28-point-plan was actually a form of anchoring?
John Foreman is a former British Defence Attache to Moscow. He told the BBC \u201cthe reaction that this was a 'take it or leave it' plan for the Americans was always wide at the mark. I think there was always room for further refinement and hopefully that's what we will see in Geneva this weekend.\u201d
It is, of course, impossible to know for sure what was in the minds of the US negotiators who drafted these plans. Some have suggested that they were, in fact, written with Russian input, something Rubio has denied.
Whether they were designed to force compromise, or capitulation, could well be revealed by the success or failure of these talks.
Delegations from Ukraine, European allies and the US have been holding talks in Geneva on a draft peace plan. Here's a brief look at what's been happening:
The proposals <\/b><\/p>\n

Trump lashes out at Ukraine and Europe<\/b><\/p>\n

Update from the talks <\/b><\/p>\n

The head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, Andriy Yermak, has posted on social media to reiterate his comments earlier, that the meeting with the US team was "very productive".
He says a second meeting will take place today where they will continue working on joint proposals with the involvement of European allies.
Zelensky has posted on social media again, saying in a lengthy post that Russia started the war, is refusing to end it, and is trying to preserve its ability to continue fighting "and not only against Ukraine".
The Ukrainian leader says he appreciates "deeply" that so many countries are working for peace and that Ukraine is "grateful to the United States, to every American heart, and personally to President Trump for the assistance".
He also thanks those in Europe and the G20 who are providing assistance, adding: "It is important to preserve the support."
But he adds: "It is important not to forget the main goal \u2013 to stop Russia\u2019s war and prevent it from ever igniting again. And to achieve that, peace must be dignified."
He says this is not just a fight about territory for Russia, but about their "right to wage war" and to "subjugate".
"That is why we work so carefully on every point, on every step toward peace. Everything must work out the right way \u2013 so that this war is truly ended and so that it does not happen again," he says, before repeating his thanks to the US and others. <\/p>\n

Neither Marco Rubio nor Andriy Yermak took questions during their brief update a short while ago.
Rubio said the talks were an "ongoing process" and they will come back "later tonight" and might be able to answer questions then, adding: "Let's get back to work".
We are now hearing from Ukrainian official Andriy Yermak.
He says the meeting has been very productive, and adds that things are moving towards a "just and lasting peace".
He expresses gratitude towards the US, extending his personal thanks towards President Trump.
He says delegates will be working today and over the coming days on a joint proposal with the US and European allies.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio enters the room with Zelensky's right-hand man, Andriy Yermak.
Rubio says they will come back in around one or two hours so he will not take questions now.
But he says he wants to provide an update.
"We've had probably the most productive and meaningful meeting so far in this entire process," he says.
Rubio says they have a "product" built on a "foundation of input" from all the parties involved and they have "made good progress" going through the points it contains.
They are now going through "some of the suggestions that were proffered to us" and making some "changes" and adjustments to get closer to something both Ukraine and the US are comfortable with, he says.
He says there is also the Russian side of the equation, but they think they have some "pretty substantial insights" into what is important to them.
"I think the takeaway from it is, I think this was a very, very meaningful, I would say probably best meeting and day we've had so far in this entire process going back to when we first came into office in January," he says.
"There is still some work left to do," he adds.
Imogen Foulkes<\/strong>
Reporting from Geneva<\/span>
We\u2018ve been summoned to the US mission for what Washington calls a \u2018gaggle'. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukraine\u2019s chief negotiator Andriy Yermak will speak to us in a few minutes.
Statements only we are told, no questions, very frustrating for journalists who have been here all day.
The Europeans, who sent their own top negotiators to Geneva too, are not here. It is unclear what role they have played today.
We can now bring you pictures from inside the US Mission in Geneva, where the US and Ukrainian delegations have been holding talks.
The images show Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on the US side.
Zelensky's right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, is among those on the Ukrainian side.
The delegates meeting in the US Mission in Geneva
Jared Kushner seated on the left, with Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both seated on the right
The head of Zelensky's office, Andriy Yermak, seated in the centre of the Ukrainian delegation
A short while ago, President Zelensky said on X he's had a joint conversation with the prime ministers of Croatia and Luxembourg and has informed them of "our diplomatic work on the American proposal and the meetings in Geneva".
"We are counting on an outcome that will pave the way to a real and lasting peace," he says.
He adds he is "grateful to every leader and to everyone around the world who supports Ukraine and our principled stances".
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Sean Dilley<\/strong>
North America Correspondent<\/span>
President Trump had apparently warmed to President Zelensky in recent months, even once complimenting his clothing and appearance – but things move very fast in Trump's White House.
The fact that the US president again blames weak leadership in Ukraine, and by his predecessor Joe Biden, speaks to his personal investment in delivering on his promise to end the war if elected.
On the face of Trump's post<\/a>, it may feel like things have gone backwards but, in truth, it's his Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff who are in the room with European and Ukrainian negotiators.
Any deal will practically have to have Trump's blessing because of the security guarantee needed for any peace plan to work, but US officials stress today is about ironing out details.
Around 20 minutes after Trump's comments, Ukraine's top security official Rustem Umerov wrote on Telegram: "We appreciate our American partners working closely with us to understand our concerns to reach this critical point and we expect to make more progress today."
For now, Trump joins the rest of the world, waiting to see what progress is made in Geneva.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Sean Dilley<\/strong>
North America Correspondent<\/span>
It all seemed to be going so well – at least from the US president's perspective.
A deal had been drafted, a deadline set.
But the intervention of European leaders, and a letter signed by them as well as Canada and Japan expressing concerns about the 28-point deal, seems to have shaken things up.
The most important line in President Trump's Truth Social post is where he hits out at President Zelensky saying: "UKRAINE 'LEADERSHIP' HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS".
It's a familiar claim but it's actually not true.
Zelensky has repeatedly used the words "thank you" and expressed Ukraine's gratitude ever since Republicans on Capitol Hill criticised him personally for not being grateful enough for US support.
That was more than two years ago – and ever since that painful Oval Office showdown last February, Zelensky has expressed gratitude on many occasions.
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