Peace plan à la Putin Is Trump selling Kiev's future in the back room?
Turmoil in Kiev: The USA is said to have secretly reached an agreement with Vladimir Putin on a peace plan for Ukraine that largely follows Moscow's ideas. Territorial cessions, military restrictions and social interventions would be the result.
20.11.2025, 14:03
21.11.2025, 05:19
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- The US government is said to have reached a secret agreement with Russia on a peace plan for Ukraine.
- The plan is said to include 28 points and put Kiev under pressure because Moscow's previous demands would largely be met.
- This is allegedly being demanded of Ukraine.
- Pro-Ukrainian commentators are appalled.
- A Ukrainian delegation is meeting with US military officials in Istanbul today.
Ukraine is coming under pressure from a peace plan allegedly negotiated in secret by the US leadership with Moscow. The draft framework demands major concessions from the country under attack, reported the Financial Times, citing people involved in the talks.
Ukraine should completely evacuate the embattled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and halve its army. In light of the reports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to meet with a US military delegation in Kiev today.
Meanwhile, the EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels for consultations. One of the topics will be possible new measures against the so-called Russian shadow fleet to circumvent energy sanctions.
Kiev leadership allegedly informed of plan
The news portal "Axios" in Washington reported that the plan was negotiated at the end of October by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Moscow representative Kirill Dmitriev.
According to the information, Witkoff is said to have informed the head of the Ukrainian Security Council, Rustem Umjerow, of the considerations. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there were no new proposals between Russia and the USA for an end to the war.
What was discussed by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Trump at their summit in Alaska in August still applies. According to the Financial Times, the new plan largely corresponds to known Russian demands on Kiev.
Moscow wants Russian as the state language
According to the plan, Moscow is to be given the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk that it has not yet been able to conquer. However, they are to be demilitarized. The southern front line through the Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions is to be largely frozen. Ukraine is also threatened with limitations on the range of its weapons.
According to the report, there are also demands for Russian to be recognized as a state language and for the former Orthodox Church, which is loyal to Moscow, to be readmitted. The Kiev leadership is trying to ban this church as a security risk.
What is known about the alleged peace plan
- Ukraine must vacate Luhansk and Donetsk and thus also leave the fortress belt in Donetsk, which the Russians have not yet been able to conquer. However, the area is to be "demilitarized".
- The front in Kherson and Zaporizhia is to be frozen at the current level.
- Kiev must accept Russian as an official language and re-admit the Russian Orthodox Church.
- Ukraine must recognize Russia's claims to the occupied territories.
- The Ukrainian military should be reduced to 400,000 personnel and no longer be allowed to use long-range weapons.
- Arms aid for Kiev should be reduced. No foreign troops are to be allowed in Ukraine.
- It is unclear what concessions the Kremlin will have to make.
Trump had previously spoken about a military withdrawal by the Ukrainians and called it a territorial exchange. In recent weeks, however, he has become increasingly disappointed by Putin's unwillingness to negotiate.
Ukraine in double trouble
Trump canceled a second summit in Budapest for the time being and imposed painful sanctions against the major Russian oil exporters Rosneft and Lukoil. The alleged rapprochement between Washington and Moscow is hitting Ukraine at a doubly unfavorable moment.
On the eastern front, the fall of the long-contested city of Pokrovsk is now only a matter of time. The Ukrainian army has also had to evacuate positions further south. Domestically, Zelenskyi is under pressure due to a corruption scandal that extends into his own circle.
Two ministers have had to resign so far. Following Zelensky's return from a trip abroad, further talks in parliament and government on personnel consequences are expected today. In Kiev, the dismissal of Andriy Yermak, who is considered powerful as head of the President's Office, is also being discussed.
Selenskyj: Only Trump can end the war
There was no direct reaction from Ukraine to the US-Russian plan. Selenskyj did, however, call on Trump to work for a just peace. "Only President Trump and the USA have enough power to bring this war to an end," he wrote on social media.
After talks in Ankara, he thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Turkey's continued willingness to host negotiations. However, the most important thing for an end to the bloodshed and lasting peace is for the USA to make a strong and effective commitment.
In Ankara, Erdogan called for new talks between Kiev and Moscow in Istanbul. As with Trump's peace initiative for Gaza, Qatar and Turkey are also to be involved in the Ukraine plan, according to Axios.
Europeans remain on the sidelines so far
Little was known about the plan in European capitals. According to EU circles in Brussels, the USA is in talks with both warring parties, but the new plan has not yet been seen. At the moment, Russia seems to be more interested in spreading such news. It is a kind of diversionary maneuver, as the pressure from the US sanctions against the Russian oil industry has grown.
The news portal "Politico" quoted an unnamed representative of the Trump administration as saying that Zelenskyi would have to give in under pressure both internally and on the front line. The proposals made are reasonable. Little consideration had been given to the European allies.
Zelensky is meeting a US military delegation in Kiev today. It is being led by Daniel Driscoll, the undersecretary of defense responsible for the army in the US Department of Defense. In a conversation yesterday (Wednesday), Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal attempted to present Ukraine as a reliable and important partner of the USA. His country has something to offer in drone technology, he said.
