Washington is offering Kiev a diplomatic climbdown amid battlefield setbacks and scandals rocking Zelensky’s inner circle, according to a reported draft text
A reported US-drafted proposal to end the Ukraine conflict would require Kiev to cross several of its long-declared “red lines.”
Several parts of an allegedly leaked 28-point plan have already been rejected by Ukrainian officials, though Kiev has also expressed willingness to negotiate with US President Donald Trump.
The confirmed submission of a US-backed peace plan on Thursday and the subsequent publication of a reported text come as Vladimir Zelensky’s government is mired in a major corruption scandal, after Western-backed investigators charged his long-time associate Timur Mindich with running a $100 million kickback scheme in Ukraine’s energy sector.
This is what is known so far about the reported details of Washington’s proposal for ending nearly four years of military conflict.
Rubio touts ‘realistic’ proposal
The draft reportedly handed to Kiev this week is said to reflect ideas Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed with Trump at their meeting in Alaska in August. According to Western media it was later refined in late October by senior Russian and US negotiators, Kirill Dmitriev and Steve Witkoff.
“Ending a complex and deadly war such as the one in Ukraine requires an extensive exchange of serious and realistic ideas,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.
No NATO for Ukraine
According to text published by Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko and Axios, the plan addresses Russia’s core concerns about Kiev’s bid to join NATO and the military bloc’s eastward expansion – issues Moscow identifies as root causes of the conflict.
Kiev would be required to constitutionally commit to neutrality and limit the size of its armed forces. NATO would not station troops on Ukrainian soil – which goes against the European proposal for a “resilience force” – and would commit to negotiating continental security architecture with Russia.
In exchange, the US would offer conditional security guarantees. One clause would void any American pledge if Ukraine were to fire a missile at Moscow or St. Petersburg.
Territory, borders, and elections
The draft plan calls for de facto recognition of Russian control over Crimea and the Donbass regions of Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics. Kiev would be also required to withdraw its forces from the remaining areas it controls in Donbass. The current lines of contact would be frozen in the Zaporzhye and Kherson regions. Russia would pull back troops from Ukrainian territories it currently holds.
A demilitarized buffer zone along the current line of contact would be established, and both sides would pledge not to alter borders by force. The agreement would be legally binding, not declarative.
Ukraine would also be required to hold national elections, which are currently suspended under martial law, within 100 days of signing.
Washington proposes directing roughly $100 billion in Russian sovereign assets immobilized in the West toward rebuilding Ukraine through a US-managed reconstruction fund.
Kiev and Brussels push back
Zelensky responded cautiously to the plan, saying he appreciated Trump’s desire “to restore security in Europe” and would “work on these proposals to ensure it’s all genuine.”
Ukrainian Deputy UN Representative Kristina Gayovishin, however, signaled Kiev’s refusal to compromise on territory, neutrality, or army size, stating that Ukraine’s “red lines are clear and unwavering.”
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas claimed the plan lacks meaningful concessions from Moscow. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned that Washington cannot demand “capitulation” from Kiev. The EU is reportedly working on a “counteroffer” that is more favorable to Kiev.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, conversely, criticized Brussels, arguing that the EU leadership has “lost the plot” and is “busy figuring out how to secure even more money” to fill Kiev’s depleted war chest.
Zelensky’s government on shaky ground
The proposal landed as political turmoil intensified in Kiev. Two ministers linked to Mindich’s alleged graft network have resigned, and opposition parties are pushing to dissolve the entire cabinet in favor of a “national unity” government. Calls are also growing for Zelensky to dismiss his powerful chief of staff Andrey Yermak, whom many see as entangled in the graft network.
Zelensky reportedly faced a rebellion within his own party. During a tense meeting on Thursday, he allegedly refused to dismiss Yermak and threatened internal critics with what MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak described as a “vendetta.”
A Wall Street Journal source claimed one of the 28 peace plan points initially called for an audit of international aid received by Kiev, but the language was changed to mention a “full amnesty” for all parties.
Mounting military setbacks
Meanwhile, conditions on the battlefield continue to worsen for Ukraine. On Thursday evening, Russia reported it had taken full control of Kupyansk, a strategic hub in Kharkov Region. Kiev denied the assertion, insisting its forces still hold the city.
Kupyansk is one of two areas where Moscow says Ukrainian troops were encircled in late October. Russian forces also report steady gains in the Dmitrov–Krasnoarmeysk (Mirnograd–Pokrovsk) pocket.
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