Washington offers sanctions relief to Moscow in Ukraine peace proposal — media

Bloomberg reported the information.

The initiative comes even as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Friday that the Trump administration is prepared to "move on" from its peace efforts unless swift progress is made. Nevertheless, U.S. Vice President JD Vance struck a more hopeful tone during remarks in Rome, saying he was "optimistic" about the prospects for ending the war.

According to European officials familiar with the discussions, the outlines of the U.S. plan were shared during meetings in Paris on Thursday, Bloomberg says. The proposal would effectively freeze the current battle lines, with Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories remaining under Moscow’s control. Kyiv’s ambition to join NATO would also be taken off the table, the officials said. Due to the sensitivity of the talks, they declined to provide further details.

The Paris discussions included a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, alongside consultations between Rubio, national security advisers, and negotiators from France, Germany, the UK, and Ukraine.

U.S. officials indicated they aim to secure a full ceasefire within weeks, Bloomberg reported earlier. Follow-up meetings are scheduled to take place in London next week.

One European official emphasized that the plan would not amount to a final settlement and that European nations would not recognize Russia's claims over occupied territories. Talks would only move forward if the Kremlin agrees to halt the fighting, and security guarantees for Ukraine would be a critical component of any agreement.

On Friday, Rubio acknowledged that security assurances for Ukraine are not an "illegitimate desire" but noted that discussions have not yet reached a detailed stage. "Every sovereign nation on Earth has a right to defend itself. Ukraine will have a right to defend itself and to enter into whatever agreements it wants to enter into on a bilateral basis with different countries," he said.

Following a call between Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that Trump and the US "want this war to end, and have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace."

A person familiar with the matter said Ukraine has already agreed to a ceasefire in principle but maintains that Russia must also commit before further issues can be addressed. During the Paris talks, the Ukrainian delegation focused on mechanisms for monitoring any ceasefire and establishing a potential peacekeeping force.