A major rift has erupted over the origins of a leaked 28-point peace plan meant to end the Russia-Ukraine war after Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally told him and multiple senators that the document had been authored by Russia — not the United States.
The comment, delivered in a private call according to Rounds, has triggered a sharp State Department denial, Ukrainian pushback, and deepening confusion over the proposal's legitimacy.
Speaking with reporters after a briefing with Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Angus King, I-Maine, Rounds said Rubio had phoned them earlier in the day to clarify the document's origins.
Rounds, who is attending the Halifax International Security Forum with the other senators, said Rubio insisted that the U.S. was only handling the plan as an intermediary and had never authored the 28-point plan document.
Apparently the document had been translated from Russian into English and then provided to the Ukrainians.
Here's Rounds' account as recounted by NewsHour reporter Nick Schifrin:
"@SecRubio did make a phone call to us this afternoon. I think he made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our representatives. It is not our recommendation, it is not our peace plan. It is a proposal that was received. … It was leaked. It was not released by our members or our representatives… this is an opportunity to receive it and… the Ukrainians… will have an opportunity to respond."
Rounds added that the proposal had been handed to American intermediaries by someone believed to be acting on behalf of Russia.
Rounds said, "This was a proposal which was received by someone who… they believed to be representing Russia in this proposal. It was given to @SteveWitkoff."
Rounds also said Rubio denied any threats to cut off intelligence or weapons to Ukraine if it refused the terms.
"With regard to the discussion that there would be threats of items taken… information being withheld and so forth — @SecRubio did say that he was not aware of any of that."
Almost immediately after the senators' remarks, the State Department issued an unusually forceful rebuttal.
A statement by Tommy Pigott, spokesman for the department said, "This is blatantly false."
"As Secretary Rubio and the entire Administration has consistently maintained, this plan was authored by the United States, with input from both the Russians and Ukrainians."
The department said the document represented a U.S.-drafted framework intended to guide ongoing diplomatic discussions, not a foreign-origin proposal delivered through a back channel.
"The peace proposal was authored by the U.S. It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine," the department insisted.
The clash has left a dramatic contradiction: Rounds says he had Rubio's permission to publicly describe the call, while the State Department says Rubio told senators no such thing.
Adding to the confusion, high-level Ukrainian officials told Newsmax that contrary to Washington's claims, they played no role in crafting the document and were never consulted on it before it was presented to them.
Kyiv officials say the plan was presented this week by American officials in Kyiv as a "take-it-or-leave-it plan," accompanied by alleged warnings that Ukraine could lose military support and vital intelligence if it did not accept the terms within a week.
According to Ukrainian officials, the plan would require concessions they view as dangerously favorable to Moscow.
They flatly rejected the State Department's assertion that Ukrainian input helped shape the 28-point outline.
King reinforced Rounds' account, saying that Rubio described the leaked document as fundamentally aligned with Moscow's objectives.
"The leaked 28-point plan, which, according to @SecRubio, is not the administration's position—it is essentially the wish list of the Russians," King said.
The proposal — associated with special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, whom Rounds says received the document — has drawn fire even among conservatives typically receptive to Trump administration initiatives.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich blasted the proposal as a "surrender document."
And the influential chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., dismissed it as a "so-called peace plan," warning on X that it could undermine Ukraine's ability to resist ongoing Russian aggression.
"This so-called 'peace plan' has real problems, and I am highly skeptical it will achieve peace," Wicker wrote. "Ukraine should not be forced to give up its lands to one of the world's most flagrant war criminals in Vladimir Putin.
"The size and disposition of Ukraine's armed forces is a sovereign choice for its government and people. And any assurances provided to Putin should not reward his malign behavior or undermine the security of the United States or allies.
"In particular, any suggestion that we can pursue arms control with a serial liar and killer like Putin should be treated with great skepticism."
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