Senators claim Rubio told them Ukraine peace plan is Russian ‘wish list’
Multiple U.S. senators claimed on Saturday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed them the peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war was not authored by the United States, even as President Donald Trump barrels ahead with a Thanksgiving deadline for Kyiv to accept its terms.
Rubio discussed the controversial 28-point peace plan during a call with a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers at the Halifax International Security Forum on Saturday, including Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Angus King (I-ME), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).
After the call, Rounds relayed Rubio’s supposed message, which was that the peace plan unveiled early this week is actually a Russian proposal and was merely “delivered” to the U.S.
“He made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our representatives,” Rounds said. “It is not our recommendation. It is not our peace plan. It is a proposal that was received, and as an intermediary, we have made arrangements to share it — and we did not release it. It was leaked.”’
King also claimed Rubio told them the peace plan was a “wish list of the Russians” and “not the [Trump] administration’s plan.”
The comments led to an immediate rebuke from both the State Department and even Rubio himself.
State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott highlighted King’s allegations specifically, calling them “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,” Piggott said.
Rubio also attempted to dispel the claims, saying the “peace proposal was authored by the U.S.”
“It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations,” he said. “It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”
The shocking back-and-forth comes as the 28-point peace plan has already been met with significant skepticism from senators across the political aisle, including most recently Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC).
Earlier Saturday, he signed onto a statement with King and multiple Democratic senators bashing “concessions” to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Trump-backed peace proposal.
UKRAINE ALLIES VOICE CONCERNS OVER US PEACE PLAN AS NEGOTIATORS DESCEND ON GENEVA
Under the proposal’s terms, Ukraine will be unable to join NATO, be forced to cede large swaths of territory to the Russians, and see a cap imposed on its military, among other requirements.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled he is facing a “very difficult choice,” as rejecting the peace deal could mean the end of U.S. support.
