(Photo: Xinhua)
Washington, November 25 (IANS) The US-proposed 28-point peace plan aiming to end the Ukraine crisis has been trimmed to a 19-point framework drafted by the United States and Ukraine over the weekend in Geneva, multiple media outlets reported.
"Many of the controversial provisions were either softened or at least reshaped" to get closer to a Ukrainian position or reduce demands on Ukraine, Oleksandr Bevz, a Ukrainian official who participated in the Geneva talks, was quoted by The Washington Post as saying.
He added that the Thursday deadline, set by US President Donald Trump for an agreement on the 28-point plan, now appears more flexible than it did before, Xinhua news agency reported.
"It's not a code red -- it's more important to finalize the text," said Bevz.
Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya told the Financial Times that the new draft bore little resemblance to the leaked 28-point version.
"Very few things are left from the original version," he said.
The new draft leaves the most contentious issues for Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to decide, according to multiple media reports.
The earlier 28-point version would have required Ukraine to cede territory in eastern Ukraine, reduce its military and forswear NATO membership. The plan thus crossed several long-standing Ukrainian red lines, drawing criticism from Ukraine and across Europe, according to reports.
Representatives from the United States, Ukraine and European countries met in Geneva on Sunday as the White House pushed for agreement on the 28-point plan.
Following a meeting between the Ukrainian delegation and national security advisers from Britain, France and Germany, the Ukrainian side held bilateral talks with the US representatives.
It's reported that Sunday's Geneva meeting was attended on the US side by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, with Zelensky's office chief Andriy Yermak leading the Ukrainian delegation.
According to a joint statement issued by the White House on Sunday night, the talks between US representatives and Ukrainian officials in Geneva made "meaningful progress toward aligning positions."
The Kremlin said it has not received official details from Geneva and does not plan talks with US officials this week, according to a Newsweek report.
Trump has set Thursday as the deadline for reaching an understanding with Kiev on the framework, while suggesting that talks could continue beyond that date if progress is being made.
