When Diplomacy Fails: Inside the Collapse of the ‘Peace Plan’

Source: Author’s Facebook page

Something went wrong with US communication about the “peace plan.” On Saturday evening, several important but highly contradictory messages were released.

According to a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, Marco Rubio told them in a phone call that the 28-point plan was a Russian document, not a U.S. one.

“This is not our peace plan. This is a proposal that we received. It does not reflect the administration’s position… It is essentially a wish list from the Russians that they gave to Steve Witkoff,” said Senators Mike Rounds and Angus King, along with several of their colleagues. They made this point clearly and repeatedly.

The statement quickly made headlines — and just as quickly, a rebuttal came from the State Department and from Rubio himself:

“This is a blatant lie… The peace proposal was developed by the United States. We are offering it as a solid framework for further negotiations. It is based on the proposals of the Russian side, but also on previous and current proposals from Ukraine.”

Afterward, Senator Mike Rounds wrote a brief statement:

“I am grateful to Secretary of State Rubio for today’s briefing on their efforts to achieve peace, taking into account the proposals of both Russia and Ukraine, to prepare a final agreement.”

I don’t know what the phone call between Rubio and the lawmakers was like before or after, but the one-vote policy backfired here. This is particularly significant considering Marco Rubio’s current role in the negotiations.

From what I’ve heard, the 28-point plan has been pushed primarily by Vance and Witkoff in recent days. Dan Driscoll delivered the message. Rubio was briefed at some point, but had minimal involvement (although the State Department officially denies this). At the same time, it was Rubio, Witkoff, and Driscoll who went to Switzerland for the talks.

What is clear in this situation is that the 28-point document is not final. Donald Trump has confirmed as much. When asked by journalists, the president replied that the plan is not a final proposal.

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