The United States reportedly sent Ukraine a new peace proposal with Russia on Wednesday, according to Axios, the Financial Times, and the New York Times. A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that the 28-point plan appears to incorporate several of Russia’s demands.
While the proposal may be acceptable to Moscow, Ukrainian authorities view it as tantamount to capitulation. Key points reportedly include recognizing Crimea and the Luhansk and Donetsk regions as part of Russia, reducing the Ukrainian military to 400,000 troops, and banning all long-range weapons.
Russia, which occupies roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory, has demanded that Kyiv cede five regions and renounce NATO membership. Ukraine rejects these terms and is calling for the deployment of Western forces to the areas it still controls, a move Russia considers unacceptable.
Another aspect of the agreement reportedly requires Kyiv to reduce or even halt US military assistance and prohibits the stationing of Western troops on Ukrainian soil. Culturally, Ukraine would need to recognize Russian as an official language and grant formal status to the Russian Orthodox Church. Axios also reports that the United States and other countries would recognize Crimea and the Donbas as legitimately part of Russian territory.
While some concessions remain vague, Ukraine and Europe could receive US security guarantees against potential future Russian aggression. Russia would be barred from deploying troops in Donbas areas still under Ukrainian control, which would be designated as demilitarized zones. Regarding the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Russia could return certain territories through negotiated settlements.
Axios previously reported that Washington and Moscow have been secretly developing a plan to end the war Russia launched against its neighbor nearly four years ago. The plan was reportedly crafted by American and Russian officials without Ukrainian involvement, including Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund, who The Guardian says has been in contact with Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy. Qatar and Turkey are also reportedly involved in the negotiations.
If confirmed, the agreement would likely be difficult for both Ukrainians and Europeans to accept, not only because of its terms but also because they were excluded from the talks. However, so far, no US or Russian officials have publicly confirmed the plan’s content.
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