Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s declaration that negotiators made “substantial” progress in Geneva should give every American pause for cautious optimism — not a free pass for policymakers to surrender principle. Rubio said the meeting was “probably the most productive day we have had on this issue,” signaling real movement around a 26–28 point framework intended to press toward an end to this bloodshed.
The talks reportedly centered on a 28-point framework the U.S. socialized with both Kyiv and Moscow as a basis for narrowing open items and seeking a durable ceasefire, and officials say the items left are not insurmountable. That procedural progress is important, but process alone does not equal victory; the content of any agreement will determine whether it secures peace or rewards aggression.
Americans should be alarmed that parts of the draft have been criticized as dangerously sympathetic to Russian aims, and European capitals have floated counterproposals that would cap Ukraine’s military and freeze lines in ways that could penalize a free nation for defending itself. If the plan effectively asks Kyiv to shrink its forces or surrender territory without ironclad guarantees, we are looking at appeasement, not peace.
This conversation has become politically combustible at home because it intersects with the Trump administration’s push to close the conflict and the understandable fatigue around endless war. But domestic exhaustion cannot be the excuse to abandon our core principle that sovereignty and the deterrence of tyrants matter; any bargain must strengthen, not weaken, future U.S. leverage.
Republicans who rightly demand security for allies and accountability for aggressors must insist on full transparency and enforceable security guarantees that protect Ukraine without handing Vladimir Putin a victory lap. Washington’s role should be to broker a settlement that preserves liberty and stability — not a backroom deal that rewards conquest and signals weakness to other would-be revisionist powers.
The Geneva talks may have been “productive,” but the real test is what Washington and Kyiv refuse to concede in the name of haste. Hardworking Americans should pressure their leaders to ensure any agreement respects Ukrainian sovereignty, strengthens regional security, and holds Russia to real consequences rather than paper promises.
