US, Ukraine, European officials hold talks on Trump's plan to end war

Top officials from the United States, Ukraine, and national security advisers from France, Britain and Germany will hold talks in Geneva on Sunday to discuss Washington's draft plan to end the war in Ukraine. 

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were due to arrive on Sunday for the talks on ending Russia's invasion, now in its fourth year. 

On Friday, US President Donald Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had until Thursday to approve the 28-point plan, which calls on Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military and renounce ambitions to join Nato. 

"We hope to iron out the final details...to draft a deal that is advantageous to them (Ukraine)," a US official said. 

"Nothing will be agreed on until the two presidents get together", referring to Trump and Zelenskyy. 

Ahead of Rubio's departure for Geneva, Trump said his current proposal for ending the war is not his final offer.

Early on Sunday, convoys of vehicles with US diplomatic plates were seen driving through Geneva, though it was not immediately clear exactly when the talks were beginning. 

US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll arrived in Geneva ahead of the talks, the US official said.

Ukraine's delegation is led by the head of Zelenskyy's office, Andriy Yermak, and includes top security officials.

National security advisers from the E3 alliance of France, Britain and Germany will join the discussions, alongside the European Union. Italy would also send an official, diplomatic sources said. 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would speak with Zelenskyy later on Sunday about the peace plan.

European and other Western leaders said on Saturday the US peace plan, which endorses key Russian demands, was a basis for talks to end the war but needed "additional work", as they seek a better deal for Kyiv before Thursday's deadline. 

A German government source said a European draft peace plan, which is based on the US proposal, had been sent to Ukraine and to the US administration. 

Before the talks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine risked losing its dignity and freedom - or Washington's backing - over the plan. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the plan as the basis of a resolution to the conflict, but Moscow may object to some proposals in the scheme, which requires its forces to pull back from some areas they have captured.  (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)