Ukraine could face a difficult choice after reports that the United States and Russia have secretly formulated a peace plan to end the ongoing war, which could require significant concessions to Moscow.
Senior US military officials are in Ukraine on a “fact-finding mission” on Thursday (November 20th), according to multiple reports, to meet with Ukrainian officials to discuss efforts to end the war with Russia. The delegation reportedly includes several high-ranking military officials, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, to assess the situation on the ground and advance peace efforts.
A secret 28-point peace plan emerges
The visit comes amid media reports that Washington and Moscow have secretly drawn up a new 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, reportedly without Kiev’s involvement. The plan, first reported by Axios, is said to be modeled after the Gaza peace accord.
A senior Ukrainian official also told the newspaper that they had received signals about a number of American proposals to end the war, but we had no role in their preparation.
The Kremlin rejects the new proposals
The Kremlin has denied that there have been any new peace proposals since Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US President Donald Trump in August. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had nothing to share publicly when asked about the Axios report.
American signals are underway
The White House has not explicitly endorsed the 28-point plan. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Ending a complex and deadly war like the one in Ukraine requires a broad exchange of serious and realistic ideas. And achieving a lasting peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions. That’s why we are and will continue to develop a list of potential ideas to end this war based on input from both sides of this conflict.”
Reaction of Ukraine
The Ukrainian leadership did not publicly comment on the plan. First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia suggested that Moscow was behind the attempts to hype the “factory of unrealistic plans”.
European concerns
European diplomats have expressed concern over reports of a peace plan drawn up without the participation of Ukraine or the region. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said: “For any plan to work, it has to have Ukrainians and Europeans on board. There is one aggressor and one victim in this war. So far we have not heard of any concessions from Russia.”
Territorial concession is being discussed
According to the AP, the draft bill reportedly calls for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia, give up some weapons and see the withdrawal of some critical US military aid. Russia would gain effective control over the eastern Donbass region, although Ukraine still controls parts of it.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Putin, are said to have been central to the development of the plan.
A peace deal requiring Kyiv to hand over territory would be illegal under Ukraine’s constitution. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has repeatedly ruled out such a possibility.
Zelenskyy acknowledges US efforts
During a visit to Turkey, Zelenskyy acknowledged Trump’s role in the pursuit of peace: “Since the beginning of this year in Ukraine, we have supported every decisive step and leadership of @POTUS, every strong and just proposal aimed at ending this war. And only President Trump and the United States have enough power to end this war.”
