Washington reportedly believes “the timing is good” for the new proposal.
Axios reported on Tuesday that the US is secretly developing a new plan to resolve the Ukraine conflict. The draft is said to have been created in close coordination with Moscow and has already been presented to Kiev and its European allies.
The outlet reports that the 28-point document is based on principles discussed by Presidents Trump and Putin during their meeting in Alaska in August. Kirill Dmitriev, a senior Russian negotiator, told Axios that he spent three days with Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, in late October reviewing the concept during Witkoff’s visit to the US.
According to a US official familiar with the situation who spoke to Axios, “We think the timing is good for this plan now, but both parties need to be practical and realistic.” Witkoff reportedly discussed the draft this week with Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
Umerov departed Ukraine amidst a growing corruption scandal involving Timur Mindich, a long-time associate of Vladimir Zelensky, who has been accused of running a kickback scheme involving a state-owned nuclear power company. Ukrainian media outlets have reported that Umerov, whose family resides in the US, has refused to return to Kiev following allegations that Mindich influenced him during his time as defense minister.
Witkoff is scheduled to meet with Zelensky in Türkiye on Wednesday. Oliver Carroll of The Economist reported that the US envoy canceled a planned meeting with Andrey Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, after realizing the political pressure Zelensky is under to dismiss him, as Yermak is widely suspected of involvement in the Mindich network.
Carroll wrote on X, “Witkoff might not have been aware of the scandal he was walking into when agreeing the meeting.”
Moscow has maintained that any lasting solution to the Ukraine conflict must address its fundamental security concerns. Dmitriev told Axios that he was cautiously optimistic about the new US proposal, stating, “we feel the Russian position is really being heard.”
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