Ukraine under pressure amid reports Russia and U.S. have devised a secret peace plan
Ukraine could face some tough choices amid reports that the U.S. and Russia have secretly formulated a peace plan to end the war, potentially including significant concessions to Moscow.
Senior U.S. military officials are in Ukraine on Thursday “on a fact finding mission to meet with Ukrainian officials and discuss efforts to end the war” with Russia, a U.S. army spokesman said.
The visit comes a day after media reports suggested Washington and Moscow had held secret talks and devised a new 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, without Kyiv’s involvement.
US and Russian officials draft new peace plan for Ukraine
Proposal envisages major concessions by Kyiv and rollback of American military assistance
The Trump administration and Russian officials have drawn up a sweeping new proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine that envisages major concessions by Kyiv, and have urged President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept it...
A group of Russian and American officials were involved in the creation of the plan, which is still at a framework stage, a person familiar with the talks told the Financial Times. One of its architects is Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, people familiar with the proposal said.
The plan was conveyed to Kyiv this week by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who met the current secretary of the national security and defence council of Ukraine and former defence minister, Rustem Umerov, in Miami to go over its 28 points, two people familiar with the talks said. They added Witkoff had made clear he wanted Zelenskyy to accept the terms even though they included points that have long been red lines for Ukraine.
One of the people said it would amount to Ukraine giving up its sovereignty if Kyiv accepted the plan and called the effort a Russian attempt to “play” the Trump administration, which they added was eager to “show progress” on a deal.
According to people with knowledge of a document about the draft plan, it would require Ukraine to cede the remainder of the eastern Donbas region — including land currently under Kyiv’s control — and cut the size of its armed forces by half.
Crucially, it also calls for Ukraine to abandon key categories of weaponry and would include the rollback of US military assistance that has been vital to its defence, potentially leaving the country vulnerable to future Russian aggression.
Additionally, no foreign troops would be allowed on Ukrainian soil and Kyiv would no longer receive western long-range weapons that can reach deep inside Russia.
The plan would also stipulate that Russian be recognised as an official state language in Ukraine and grant formal status to the local branch of the Russian Orthodox Church — provisions echoing long-standing Kremlin political objectives.
One person familiar with the document described it as a very generic one that was “heavily tilted towards Russia”. Another person briefed on the plan called it “very comfortable for Putin”.
“It’s not a plan but a mix of real, practical proposals with good intentions,” a Russian person familiar with the matter said. “Part of it is absolutely unacceptable for the Ukrainians.”
Ukraine expected to give up land, some arms under US peace plan, sources say
LONDON/KYIV, Nov 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. has signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end the war with Russia that proposes Kyiv giving up territory and some weapons, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that Washington "will continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides of this conflict."
"Ending a complex and deadly war such as the one in Ukraine requires an extensive exchange of serious and realistic ideas. And achieving a durable peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions," Rubio said.
Ukraine has had no role in preparing the proposals...
