U.S. senators say Rubio told them Trump’s Ukraine peace plan is Russia’s ‘wish list.’ Rubio denies it

Lawmakers captious of President Donald Trump's attack to ending the Russia-Ukraine warfare said Saturday they spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio who told them that the bid program President Donald Trump is pushing Kyiv to judge is simply a "wish list" of the Russians and not the existent connection offering Washington's positions.

A State Department spokesperson denied their account, calling it "blatantly false."

Rubio himself past took the bonzer measurement of suggesting online that the senators were mistaken, adjacent though they said helium was their root for the information. The caput of authorities doubled down connected the assertion that Washington was liable for a connection that had amazed galore from the opening for being truthful favorable to Moscow.

It each added up to a confusing — and perchance embarrassing — crook of events for a Trump administration-blessed bid program that already faced a perchance rocky future.

The wide leaked 28-point U.S.-backed bid plan was, according to the White House, the effect of a period of enactment betwixt Rubio and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff on with input from what it said was some Ukrainians and Russians. The program acquiesces to galore Russian demands that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has categorically rejected connected dozens of occasions, including giving up ample pieces of territory. Trump says helium wants Ukraine to judge the program by precocious adjacent week.

"This medication was not liable for this merchandise successful its existent form," said Republican Mike Rounds from South Dakota, speaking astatine a information league successful Canada. "They privation to utilize it arsenic a starting point."

Rounds said, "It looked much similar it was written successful Russian to statesman with."

The senators said they spoke to Rubio aft helium reached retired to immoderate of them portion connected his mode to Geneva for talks connected the plan. Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said Rubio told them the program "was not the administration's plan" but a "wish database of the Russians."

The bipartisan radical of senators, who are seasoned legislators and among those astir focused connected overseas relations, stood unneurotic astatine the property league arsenic they relayed Rubio's connection connected the call.

Rubio, who serves arsenic some nationalist information advisor and caput of state, was expected to be a gathering successful Geneva connected Sunday to sermon Washington's connection arsenic portion of a U.S. delegation, according to a U.S. authoritative who was not authorized to publically sermon the American participants earlier the gathering and spoke connected information of anonymity.

"The bid connection was authored by the U.S. It is offered arsenic a beardown model for ongoing negotiations," Rubio posted connected X. "It is based connected input from the Russian side. But it is besides based connected erstwhile and ongoing input from Ukraine," Rubio wrote.

Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesperson, said the senators' relationship was "blatantly false."

A elder Trump medication official, who insisted connected anonymity to item interior discussions, noted Saturday nighttime that the White House has consistently maintained that the program was authored by the U.S. but included input from Russians and Ukrainians.

The authoritative said the program had ever been considered by the medication arsenic a adjuvant spot to commencement continued negotiations with an oculus toward moving to a much lasting bid plan.

The senators earlier Saturday said the program would lone reward Moscow for its aggression and nonstop a connection to different leaders who person threatened their neighbors.

"It rewards aggression. This is axenic and simple. There's nary ethical, legal, moral, governmental justification for Russia claiming eastbound Ukraine," King said during a sheet treatment astatine the Halifax International Security Forum successful Canada.

Putin welcomed the connection precocious Friday, saying it "could signifier the ground of a last bid settlement" if the U.S. tin get Ukraine and its European allies to agree.

Zelenskyy, successful an address, did not cull the program outright, but insisted connected just attraction portion pledging to "work calmly" with Washington and different partners successful what helium called "truly 1 of the astir hard moments successful our history."

In its 17th year, astir 300 radical stitchery annually astatine the Halifax International Security Forum held astatine Halifax's Westin hotel. The forum attracts subject officials, U.S. senators, diplomats and scholars but this twelvemonth the Trump medication suspended information of U.S. defence officials successful events by deliberation tanks, including the Halifax International Security Forum.

A ample fig of U.S. senators made the travel this twelvemonth successful portion due to the fact that of strained relations betwixt Canada and the U.S. Trump has alienated America's neighbour with his commercialized warfare and insistence that Canada should go the 51st U.S. state. Many Canadians present garbage to question to the U.S. and borderline states similar Shaheen's New Hampshire are seeing a melodramatic driblet successful tourism.