Article Summary – A leaked 28-point U.S. peace framework for Ukraine is drawing fire in Kyiv and across Europe.
-The draft would reportedly force Ukraine to cede more eastern territory, accept strict limits on its armed forces, and abandon further NATO integration.
Putin Back in 2023. Image Credit: Kremlin.
-In exchange, Washington would offer security guarantees, ease sanctions on Russia, and channel frozen Russian assets into Ukrainian reconstruction as Moscow regains access to global markets. The plan surfaces amid fresh Russian strikes and political turmoil in Kyiv, while EU officials complain they were sidelined.
-For many Ukrainians, it looks less like a compromise than a codified defeat.
New Ukraine Peace Plan Demands Russian Land Grabs
President Donald Trump’s latest push to end Russia’s war in Ukraine has gotten mixed reviews in Kyiv and across European capitals, where leaders say they were largely kept out of the loop on a plan that appears to demand sweeping concessions from the invaded country.
According to leaked accounts of a 28-point framework circulated to Ukrainian officials this week, the draft would require Kyiv to hand over additional territory in the east, accept tight limits on the size and capabilities of its armed forces, and forsake further NATO integration.
In return, Ukraine would receive U.S. security guarantees and a pathway for Russia to return to the global financial system, including the easing of sanctions and a route to rejoin the G8. Frozen Russian assets, worth around $100 billion, would be repurposed for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Publicly, the White House insists the effort is about ending the bloodshed. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump has grown “frustrated with both sides for their refusal to commit to a peace agreement,” but is determined to “create a durable, lasting peace.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio has talked up the need for “difficult but necessary concessions” from Moscow and Kyiv alike.
For Ukraine, the draft reads less like a compromise and more like capitulation.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed receiving a U.S. plan.
He says his team will scrutinize it “honestly and swiftly.” Still, officials in Kyiv have already dismissed a parallel U.S.–Russian proposal as “absurd” and “unacceptable,” accusing Moscow of trying, yet again, to convert battlefield pressure into diplomatic gains.
This comes at yet another difficult moment for Kyiv. A Russian attack on Ternopil left over 25 people dead on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a corruption scandal within the Ukrainian government has recently forced the resignation of two Cabinet ministers.
Europe, which has directed more funding and firepower into Ukraine than the U.S., is displeased at being treated as an afterthought.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has repeatedly stressed that “for any plan to work, it needs Ukrainians and Europeans on board.”
German and Polish ministers have echoed that message, warning that Europe’s security is on the line if any settlement locks in Russian gains.
Hamish Falconer, the UK’s Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, refused to back reports of the plan, and reaffirmed his government’s stance that borders cannot be changed by force.
Still, the reality is that NATO relies on U.S. security guarantees, so Washington is more than able to throw its weight and its priorities around.
Trump’s allies argue that the imperfect peace now is better than endless war.
But asking an attacked country that continues to bury its dead and fend off mass missile barrages to sign away land, weapons, and long-term security may prove a harder sell than Washington anticipates.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education. You can follow her on X: @llggeorgia.
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