The Trump administration, together with Russian officials, has developed a sweeping new proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine — a plan that envisions major concessions from Kyiv and has already been presented to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to several individuals briefed on the effort, APA reports citing Financial Times.
A group of current and former Russian and American officials participated in drafting the proposal, which remains at the framework stage, a person familiar with the discussions told the Financial Times. The plan was conveyed to Kyiv this week by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who met in Miami with Rustem Umerov — Ukraine’s current Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council and former Defence Minister — to review its 28 points, said two people familiar with the talks.
According to individuals with direct knowledge of the document, the draft would require Ukraine to relinquish the remainder of the eastern Donbas region — including territory now under Kyiv’s control — and reduce the size of its armed forces by half. Crucially, it calls for Ukraine to abandon key categories of weaponry and anticipates a rollback of US military assistance, which has been vital to Ukraine’s defence. Such measures could leave the country more vulnerable to future Russian aggression.
The proposal also demands that Russian be recognised as an official state language in Ukraine and that the local branch of the Russian Orthodox Church receive official status — provisions long aligned with the Kremlin’s political objectives.
One person familiar with the document described it as a “very generic” proposal that was “heavily tilted towards Russia.” Another source briefed on the plan called it “very comfortable for Putin.” Ukrainian officials informed about the proposal said it closely reflects the Kremlin’s maximalist demands and stressed that it would be a non-starter for Kyiv without substantial revisions.
The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the White House.
News of the plan was first reported by Axios. In the aftermath of the report, Brent crude — the international oil benchmark — fell as much as 3 per cent before trimming losses to trade 2.3 per cent lower at $63.40. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, dropped to a low of $58.77.
In late October, Washington imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia’s major oil companies and cancelled a planned bilateral summit with Vladimir Putin in Budapest, amid growing frustration from Trump over the Kremlin’s stance. The final trigger, officials said, was a tense call between the countries’ top diplomats that convinced Washington Moscow was not prepared to negotiate.
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