The American peace plan for Ukraine

Translated by Aurora Forlivesi

Several news outlets have recently reported that the United States under Donald Trump and Russia under Vladimir Putin may have reached an agreement on a plan to bring the war in Ukraine to an end, although the terms remain unclear for the time being.
All this is happening as the Russian offensive intensifies ahead of the arrival of winter: the most recent attacks include those on the city of Ternopil and on several Ukrainian energy facilities, aimed at weakening civilians’ resilience to the harsh temperatures of the coming months and securing a stronger negotiating position.

The plan

The plan in question, structured into 28 points and drafted by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev, was leaked by several major news outlets and has immediately divided international public opinion.

The most significant issue concerns territorial concessions: the government in Kyiv would be required to cede the entire Donbas and Crimea, while the current front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would be frozen, effectively formalizing the existing division between the two sides.
Kyiv would also have to agree to a downsizing of its armed forces and military capabilities: the plan would impose a maximum army size of 600,000 troops and the complete abandonment of long-range missiles—launch systems capable of striking targets on Russian territory, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had long negotiated for.

In addition, the plan would severely restrict U.S. military assistance and impose a strict ban on the deployment of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory. In this regard, Kyiv would be required not to join any military alliance, while the European Union’s role would be limited to warplanes stationed in Poland to defend the eastern border.

However, the content of the plan would not be limited to political and military issues alone, but would also extend to socio-cultural aspects. These include the obligation to recognize Russian as an official language of the country and to grant formal recognition to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Finally, as a consequence of the peace plan, Russia would be gradually readmitted into the global economic system and the sanctions imposed on it would be lifted.

In return for these concessions, the government in Kyiv would receive an American guarantee against any future Russian aggression—although the scope of this guarantee remains undefined for now—and 100 billion dollars in frozen Russian assets to finance the reconstruction of the country.

Reactions

At present, the content of the plan has not been confirmed by the Trump administration, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on the situation in Ukraine on X, writing: “Achieving a durable peace will require both sides to accept difficult but necessary concessions. That is why we will continue to develop a list of potential ideas to bring this war to an end, based on input from both sides of this conflict.”

In Ukraine, reactions have not been long in coming.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who recently visited Turkey to strengthen diplomatic ties with President Erdoğan, stated that he has received the draft of the plan and intends to discuss it directly with Trump, despite his recent meeting with Pentagon officials in Kyiv.

Zelensky's cautious response was followed by less conciliatory comments from several Ukrainian officials, who described the plan as "absurd and unacceptable," particularly due to Ukraine’s exclusion from the negotiation process. The leaked clauses also raised concerns, as they appeared to point toward a near-unconditional surrender, echoing the demands made by the Kremlin at the start of the invasion.

“At the moment, there are no signs that the Kremlin is ready to engage in serious negotiations. Putin is trying to buy time and avoid U.S. sanctions,” said Oleksandr Merezhko, Chair of Ukraine’s Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy.

“It would mean capitulation—for Ukraine, for Europe, and for America,” argued Roman Kostenko, a prominent Ukrainian politician and military commander.

Concerns have also been raised from Brussels, particularly over the fact that they were neither involved nor informed in advance. In this regard, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, stated that Europe is ready to welcome any attempt to achieve a lasting peace, but emphasized that, for it to succeed, the involvement of both Ukrainians and Europeans is essential. “Putin could end this war immediately by stopping the bombardment of civilians and the killing of people. But we see no concessions from the Russian side. We welcome any effort to bring this war to an end, […] but peace must be just and lasting.”

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