Possible details of Trump’s plan for Ukraine emerge: territorial concessions and army reduction

According to sources, the Donald Trump administration has proposed a 28-point peace plan to Ukraine that entails significant concessions in favor of Russia. The document requires Kyiv to:

• recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea and all Russia-controlled territory in Donbas;

• reduce the size of its armed forces by more than half — to around 400,000 service members;

• give up all long-range weaponry.

The structure of the plan was agreed in advance by U.S. special representative Steve Witkoff and Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev. A Pentagon delegation headed by U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll arrived in Kyiv to discuss the document.

Pressure on Kyiv

The proposal appeared against the backdrop of a deteriorating situation at the front and an internal crisis in Ukraine. Russian forces are advancing in the Siversk area and threatening the strategic city of Pokrovsk, while missile strikes continue on other cities, including Ternopil.

At the same time, Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration has faced the biggest corruption scandal of his presidency: NABU exposed an alleged $110 million scheme in the state company Energoatom, in which Zelensky’s former business partner, producer Tymur Mindich, appears in the investigation materials.

Essence of the document and reaction

The plan covers four blocks: a peace settlement in Ukraine, security guarantees, European security, and the future relations of the U.S. with Russia and Ukraine. Despite Russia actually controlling about 78% of Donbas, it is offered international recognition of the entire region, while the territories held by Ukraine are to become demilitarized zones.

Witkoff had previously discussed the document with Ukraine’s national security adviser Rustem Umerov in Miami, but his meeting with Zelensky in Turkey was postponed. On the same day, the Ukrainian president held talks with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara and expressed hope for the resumption of prisoner exchanges with Russia by the end of the year.

The plan provoked sharp criticism. Financial Times journalist Christopher Miller called it “de facto capitulation by Ukraine” and “maximalist Kremlin demands.” Trump himself, speaking at the Saudi Arabia–U.S. investment forum, acknowledged disappointment with Vladimir Putin’s position, saying he had expected an easier path to a peace agreement.