Washington, DC [US], November 23 (ANI): The US State Department has firmly rejected claims from two senators alleging that President Donald Trump’s 28-point Ukraine peace proposal was essentially drafted by Russia and did not represent the administration’s official position, according to a report by The Hill.
The controversy began after Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Independent Senator Angus King of Maine stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told them the plan was not authored by the United States but was “received” from an intermediary and reflected “the wish list of the Russians.”
Rubio contradicted that interpretation in a post on X, clarifying, “The peace proposal was authored by the US. It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations … It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”
State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott also dismissed the suggestion that the administration was not behind the plan, calling the claim “blatantly false.”
“As Secretary Rubio and the entire Administration has consistently maintained, this plan was authored by the United States, with input from both the Russians and Ukrainians,” Pigott wrote on X.
The proposal has drawn criticism from several Republican leaders, including Senators Mitch McConnell and Roger Wicker, who argue it would effectively reward President Vladimir Putin nearly four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The plan outlines that Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk would fall under de facto Russian control, recognized by the US—a condition widely expected to be rejected by Ukraine. It also requires no major concessions from Russia aside from contributing USD 100 billion in frozen assets toward Ukraine’s reconstruction, The Hill reported.
Vice President JD Vance defended the administration’s framework, arguing that opponents were mischaracterizing it. “Peace won’t be made by failed diplomats or politicians living in a fantasy land,” Vance said on X. “Every criticism of the peace framework the administration is working on either misunderstands the framework or misstates some critical reality on the ground.”
In a televised national address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the country was entering a pivotal moment. “Ukraine could now face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner. Either the difficult 28 points, or an extremely difficult winter,” he cautioned.
Speaking from the Oval Office, President Trump told reporters he believed a viable path to peace had been identified but emphasized that the proposal could only advance with Zelenskyy’s approval. “We think we have a way of getting peace, he’s going to have to approve it. I think they’re getting reasonably close, but I don’t want to predict,” Trump said, according to CNN.
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