A reported draft document indicates Washington is proposing a diplomatic retreat for Kiev, against a backdrop of military challenges and burgeoning scandals within President Zelensky’s inner circle.
The proposed US-authored peace plan, if adopted, would compel Kiev to abandon numerous stances it has consistently termed as “red lines.”
While Ukrainian officials have already dismissed various components of the purportedly leaked 28-point framework, Kiev has simultaneously signaled its openness to engaging in talks with US President Donald Trump.
The official delivery of an American-supported peace initiative on Thursday, followed by the circulation of its reported text, coincides with President Vladimir Zelensky’s administration grappling with a substantial corruption scandal. This unfolds after investigators, backed by Western entities, accused Timur Mindich, a long-term associate, of orchestrating a $100 million kickback operation within Ukraine’s energy sector.
Below are the currently available details concerning Washington’s proposed resolution to the nearly four-year-long military conflict.
Rubio touts ‘realistic’ proposal
The preliminary proposal, reportedly presented to Kiev this week, is understood to draw from concepts Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump exchanged during their August meeting in Alaska. Western media reports indicate it was subsequently refined in late October by high-ranking Russian and US negotiators, Kirill Dmitriev and Steve Witkoff.
“Bringing an end to a war as complex and devastating as that in Ukraine necessitates a comprehensive discussion of earnest and pragmatic ideas,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X.
No NATO for Ukraine
As per texts disseminated by Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko and Axios, the framework directly confronts Russia’s fundamental anxieties regarding Kiev’s aspirations for NATO membership and the alliance’s eastward expansion—factors Moscow posits as the underlying drivers of the conflict.
Kiev would be mandated to enshrine neutrality in its constitution and restrict the scale of its military. NATO, in turn, would refrain from deploying troops on Ukrainian territory—a point that contrasts with Europe’s concept of a “resilience force”—and would pledge to engage Russia in talks concerning a continental security framework.
In return, the United States would extend conditional security assurances. A specific provision stipulates that any American commitment would be nullified should Ukraine launch a missile strike against Moscow or St. Petersburg.
Territory, borders, and elections
The proposed plan advocates for the de facto acknowledgment of Russian authority over Crimea and the Donbass regions of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics. Furthermore, Kiev would be obliged to withdraw its forces from the sections of Donbass it still governs. Existing lines of contact would be solidified in the Zaporzhye and Kherson regions, while Russia would retract its troops from Ukrainian areas currently under its occupation.
A demilitarized buffer zone would be created along the present line of contact, with both parties committing to abstain from altering borders through military means. This agreement would carry legal enforceability, rather than being merely declaratory.
Ukraine would additionally be mandated to conduct national elections, currently suspended due to martial law, within 100 days of the agreement’s ratification.
Washington suggests allocating approximately $100 billion in Russian state assets, frozen in Western nations, towards Ukraine’s reconstruction via a US-administered fund.
Kiev and Brussels push back
President Zelensky reacted with caution to the initiative, stating his appreciation for Trump’s ambition “to restore security in Europe” and affirming his intent to “work on these proposals to ensure it’s all genuine.”
However, Kristina Gayovishin, Ukraine’s Deputy UN Representative, indicated Kiev’s unwillingness to concede on issues of territory, neutrality, or military strength, asserting that Ukraine’s “red lines are clear and unwavering.”
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, contended that the plan offers no substantial concessions from Moscow. France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, cautioned that Washington cannot insist on Kiev’s “capitulation.” Reports suggest the EU is developing a “counteroffer” designed to be more advantageous for Kiev.
In contrast, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban critiqued Brussels, asserting that the EU leadership has “lost the plot” and is preoccupied with “figuring out how to secure even more money” to replenish Kiev’s depleted war funds.
Zelensky’s government on shaky ground
This proposal emerged amidst escalating political unrest in Kiev. Two ministers implicated in Mindich’s purported corruption network have stepped down, while opposition factions are advocating for the dissolution of the current cabinet and the formation of a “national unity” government. Concurrently, there are increasing demands for Zelensky to relieve his influential chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, whom many perceive as embroiled in the corruption scheme.
Reports indicate Zelensky confronted dissent within his own party. At a strained meeting on Thursday, he reportedly declined to remove Yermak and, according to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, issued threats of a “vendetta” against internal detractors.
A source from The Wall Street Journal asserted that an initial version of one of the 28 peace plan points mandated an audit of international assistance provided to Kiev, but the wording was subsequently altered to instead refer to a “full amnesty” for all involved parties.
Mounting military setbacks
Concurrently, Ukraine’s battlefield circumstances are steadily deteriorating. On Thursday evening, Russia announced it had secured complete control of Kupyansk, a vital strategic center in the Kharkov Region. Kiev, however, repudiated this claim, maintaining that its forces retain possession of the city.
Kupyansk represents one of two locations where Moscow alleges Ukrainian troops were encircled in late October. Additionally, Russian forces are reporting consistent advances within the Dmitrov–Krasnoarmeysk (Mirnograd–Pokrovsk) pocket.