A new peace proposal from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump aims to end the war between Russia and Ukraine through terms that would grant significant concessions to Moscow. Meduza says outlets including Axios, Reuters, Financial Times, and The Economist report that the plan includes recognition of Crimea and Donbas as Russian territories, a withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk, a frozen front line in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, and major cuts to Ukraine’s armed forces.
The 28-point document reportedly proposes making Donetsk and Luhansk demilitarized zones, free of both Ukrainian and Russian troops. While the U.S. and other countries would recognize the territories as Russian, Ukraine would not be forced to do so.
Additional terms include restricting Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons capable of striking Russian territory, granting Russian language official status, and giving legal recognition to the Russian Orthodox Church. Ukraine would also be barred from hosting foreign military bases.
In exchange, the U.S. would offer security guarantees in case of future Russian aggression—though the plan does not specify how those guarantees would be enforced.
The initiative is being spearheaded by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who has already discussed the proposal with Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov during a meeting in Miami, according to Axios. However, Kyiv’s refusal to engage derailed a planned summit in Ankara with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Ukraine presented its own peace plan, developed with European partners, which American officials described as "unacceptable to Russia."
Despite Kyiv's opposition, Washington is reportedly pressing for the adoption of key provisions. One U.S. official told Reuters that Ukraine risks losing Donbas regardless if the war continues, and would be better off securing a deal now.
Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriyev told Axios that the Russian side is optimistic, saying their proposals were “finally taken seriously” and that the plan draws on principles discussed by the U.S. and Russian presidents during talks in Alaska this August.
This marks the fourth attempt by the Trump administration to outline terms for a possible ceasefire. European officials, however, remain skeptical, viewing the initiative as a Russian effort to ease sanctions pressure, according to Bloomberg.
While in Turkiye, President Zelensky thanked President Erdoğan for his mediation efforts and reiterated Ukraine’s readiness to engage in any format that leads to a just resolution. In Moscow, the Kremlin again signaled its willingness to resume negotiations in Istanbul, blaming Kyiv for their earlier collapse.
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