Donald Trump's new peace plan for Ukraine, developed in secret talks with Russia, requires the country to cede territory in Donbass but retain ownership while Russia pays rent. The 28-point plan, seen as a major concession to Moscow, has urged President Zelenskyj to accept it despite his red lines. Details leaked in international media on Wednesday.
The peace plan, put together by Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin's chief negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, has not involved Ukraine or Europe. According to Axios and Financial Times, Ukraine must cede the remaining parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, known as Donbass, that Russia does not yet occupy. This includes fortified defense lines that Russia has failed to breach since 2014.
The plan proposes halving Ukraine's military, halting deliveries of certain US weapons—including long-range missiles that can reach deep into Russia—and barring foreign troops from the country. Russian is to be recognized as an official language, and the ban on the Russian Orthodox Church, which has supported Putin's invasion, is to be lifted.
A bizarre detail, reported by The Telegraph, is that Ukraine formally retains ownership of Donbass while Russia pays rent to control the area and its natural resources. This aims to bypass Ukraine's constitution, which requires a referendum for ceding territory. Donbass is to become a demilitarized zone without Russian troops, and frontlines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are to be frozen, with Russia returning some parts after negotiations.
The US will provide security guarantees to Ukraine and Europe against future Russian aggression, but Ukraine does not need to recognize Crimea or Donbass as Russian. A Financial Times source warns that the plan effectively means Ukraine surrenders its sovereignty and that Russia is exploiting Trump's eagerness. The urging to accept was made last week in a Miami meeting with Ukrainian defense and security leaders.
Zelenskyj, who met Turkey's President Erdogan in Ankara, did not comment on the plan but praised Trump's leadership: 'Only President Trump and the US have enough power to end this war.' Sweden's former foreign minister Carl Bildt criticized the proposal on X, comparing it to the 1938 Munich Agreement: 'Is this a new attempt by Trump and Putin to reach a Munich Agreement 2.0 over Ukraine's head?'