WASHINGTON: The Trump administration insisted Saturday that its Ukraine proposal is indeed official US policy, denying claims by a group of senators that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told them the document under discussion is just a Russian “wish list.”
The dispute over the 28-point plan — which cedes Ukrainian territory long sought by Moscow — threw an extraordinary element of confusion into efforts to negotiate an end to the war.
President Donald Trump has pushed the 28-point plan, pressuring the Ukrainians to accept it within days. Negotiators will meet in Switzerland on Sunday.
However, after a storm of criticism that the proposal is almost entirely favorable to Moscow, several US senators spoke out, holding a press conference at the Halifax Security Forum in Nova Scotia, Canada on Saturday.
The senators — Republican Mike Rounds, independent Angus King, and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen — said Rubio told them the current Ukraine proposal is not the official US position, but instead lays out a “Russian wish list.”
