Trump Administration’s Ukraine Peace Plan Rooted in Russian Proposal
A 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, recently brought forward by the U.S., appears to be heavily based on a document outlining Russia‘s conditions for ending the war, according to three sources familiar with the matter.This Russian “non-paper,” first presented to senior U.S. officials in mid-October following a meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, contained demands Ukraine had previously rejected, including territorial concessions in the east. This marks the first confirmation that the document, initially reported by Reuters in October, significantly contributed to the current U.S. peace plan.
The U.S. State Department, along with the Russian and Ukrainian embassies in washington, declined to comment on the matter. While the White House avoided direct comment on the briefing paper, it referenced President Trump’s optimism regarding the 28-point plan. Trump announced the assignment of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow, alongside Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll’s planned meeting with Ukrainian officials, “in hopes of finalizing this peace plan.”
The origins of the U.S.reliance on the Russian document remain unclear. Several senior U.S. officials,including Secretary of State Marco rubio,reportedly believe the demands within the plan are unlikely to be accepted by Ukraine. Rubio confirmed having discussed “numerous informal written documents and things of that nature” with Russian Foreign Minister sergei Lavrov following the document’s presentation, though he offered no further details.
Skepticism surrounding the peace plan has grown as its initial reporting by Axios last week, with many U.S. officials and lawmakers viewing it as a reflection of Russian positions rather than a genuine proposal. Despite this, the U.S. has reportedly pressured Ukraine, threatening to reduce military assistance if it does not sign the agreement.
The plan’s development was further fueled by a meeting last month in Miami between Jared Kushner,Steve Witkoff,and Kirill Dmitriev,head of a Russian sovereign wealth fund. according to two sources, this meeting was largely kept confidential within the State Department and White House. Bloomberg reported that Witkoff even offered advice to Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov on how Putin should communicate with Trump, with early conversations in October hinting at a potential “20-point plan” that later expanded.
