WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that the controversial, Russia-friendly 28-point Ukraine War peace plan was authored by the US, despite a group of senators suggesting otherwise, and the European Union raising concerns.

Some of those senators, including Angus King (I-Maine), who suggested Rubio described the 28-point plan as a “wishlist of the Russians,” stood by their concerns about Moscow’s influence over the proposal.

“The peace proposal was authored by the U.S. It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations,” Rubio claimed on Saturday. “It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”

“The plan appears to have been developed after extensive consultation with the Russians and little, if any, input from Ukraine or our European allies, King said in a statement. 

“There are many problems with the plan as it has been reported, but the two most obvious are that it rewards Russia’s illegal and unprovoked aggression by handing over substantial portions of Ukraine’s sovereign territory, and its security guarantees against further Russian aggression are vague and inadequate,” he added.

Questions had swirled after the blueprint emerged last week — with experts noting how it appeared to have been translated from Russian to English.

Then, on Saturday, reports emerged from a bipartisan delegation of senators that spoke with Rubio while attending the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada, claiming that the Secretary of State informed lawmakers the 28-point blueprint was really a Russian wishlist.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), who was on that call, had publicly claimed Rubio called the bipartisan delegation of senators and claimed the secretary told them, “It is not our recommendation, it is not our peace plan.”

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), one of the most pro-Ukrainian GOP voices in the House of Representatives, called for the Trump administration to fire people over the confusion about the plan.

“Some people better get fired on Monday for the gross buffoonery we just witnessed over the last four days,” Bacon said on X. “This hurt our country and undermined our alliances, and encouraged our adversaries.”

Other prominent senators such as Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, panned the proposal. 

“This initial plan would be a total capitulation by Ukraine. I think it would go down, frankly, as a historically bad deal, rivaling Neville Chamberlain giving in to Hitler before World War II,” Warner told “Fox News Sunday.” 

Here's the latest on the Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal

• A 28-point blueprint plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine was confirmed by senior US officials.
• Officials questioned the plan, as it outlined giving territory to Russia and preventing Ukraine from joining NATO, with nothing in return to benefit Ukraine.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that the plan was authored by the US.
• President Trump called out Ukraine for expressing “zero gratitude” for the administration’s efforts to end the war, despite claims the plan is a Russian “wishlist.”
• Zelensky appeared to reject the idea.

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“And my fear is that you’re going to hear not only bipartisan pushback, but the whole idea that this was drafted without Ukrainian input.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott flatly denied claims that the plan was crafted by the Russians, calling it “blatantly false.”
However, Pigott did not provide an explanation for the confusion.

A Ukrainian official claimed that the US threatened to sever all aid if Kyiv doesn’t agree to the deal, ABC News reported.

The controversial 28-point plan would have war-torn Ukraine make dramatic concessions, including ceding the entirety of the Donbas region, which the Russians have been unable to fully take over by military force for over a decade.

Ukraine would also have to commit to never joining NATO, slimming down its military force from roughly 900,000 to 600,000 personnel and giving amnesty to everyone involved in the war — meaning that Russians couldn’t face war crime claims.

Critically, the Russian side would make very few concessions, per the plan. Concessions for Russia in the plan include Moscow being expected not to invade its neighbors in the future and Ukraine getting some security guarantees. 

Russia would also agree to relinquish any territories outside Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk, as well as the portions of Zaporizhia and Kherson it controls.

In exchange, the US would agree to reintegrate Russia into the global economy.

Key EU members quickly raised apprehension about the plan, which had reportedly been developed by special envoy Steve Witkoff, in consultation with both Ukrainian and Russian officials.

“Any credible and sustainable peace plan should first and foremost stop the killing and end the war, while not sowing the seeds for a future conflict,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement Sunday.

She laid out three main pillars for a peace deal to end the war.

“First, borders cannot be changed by force. Second, as a sovereign nation there cannot be limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces that would leave the country vulnerable to future attack and thereby also undermining European security,” von der Leyen said.

“Third, the centrality of the European Union in securing peace for Ukraine must be fully reflected,” she continued. “Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny. They have chosen a European destiny.”

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk raised concerns about who authored the 28-point plan.

“Together with the leaders of Europe, Canada and Japan, we have declared our readiness to work on the 28-point plan despite some reservations,” Tusk posted on X. “However, before we start our work, it would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created.”

Notably, after President Trump’s meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky last month, the US president publicly called for ending the war along the current battle lines.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stood by the plan during a press briefing last week.

“President Trump has made it very clear since day one, and even on the campaign trail, that he wants to see this war come to an end. He has grown increasingly frustrated with both sides of this war, Russia and Ukraine alike, for their refusal to commit to a peace agreement,” she said last week

“It’s a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine, and we believe that it should be acceptable to both sides, and we’re working very hard to get it done,” she said.

Zelensky has publicly raised concerns about the concessions the plan asks from Ukraine.

“We are facing one of the most dangerous periods in Ukrainian history, a choice between losing our dignity and freedom and losing US support,” he said, per a translation. “We choose dignity. My answer is my oath of office. I did not betray Ukraine in Feb 2022 and we won’t betray in now.