ALBAWABA- The White House has approved a confidential 28-point proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, setting off international alarm over a framework that would require sweeping concessions from Kyiv, senior U.S. and European officials confirmed Wednesday.
The plan, drafted in backchannel talks between U.S. and Russian representatives, pushes for territorial transfers, military restrictions, and a long-term freeze on Ukraine’s Western integration, drawing sharp criticism from European allies who say they were excluded from the process.
The blueprint, shaped by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, senior adviser Jared Kushner, and Russian investor Kirill Dmitriev, calls for Ukraine to relinquish roughly 15% of its territory in Donetsk and Luhansk to form a demilitarized buffer zone under neutral supervision.
It would also require Ukraine to cut its military forces by half, abandon long-range missile programs, and suspend its bid to join NATO. In return, the United States would ease selected sanctions on Russia and provide limited security assurances, without deploying American troops. No peacekeeping force is included.
Trump Approves #Russia-#Ukraine Peace Plan#QNA https://t.co/N744JzhfoW pic.twitter.com/1GA5PhgwC7
— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) November 20, 2025
Kyiv reacted with anger, denouncing the proposal as an “attempt to impose defeat.” While President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered cautious praise for Trump’s “engagement,” Ukrainian officials stressed that no government would accept territorial loss or forced demilitarization.
Russia publicly dismissed reports of the plan as “speculative” but signaled it would discuss terms if its longstanding demands, including Ukrainian neutrality, were met.
U.S. allies reacted with unease. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned against “solutions devised without Ukraine,” while Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned any arrangement that sidelines Kyiv as “unacceptable” and vowed to oppose a settlement imposed over European objections. EU diplomats said the proposal risks undermining European security and emboldening Moscow.
