Details emerge of Trump peace plan demanding Ukraine cede Donbass

The US administration is working on a new peace plan that demands significant concessions from Kyiv to end the war in Ukraine.

According to information from sources familiar with the matter cited by the Financial Times and Axios, the draft, prepared with the participation of Steven Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, proposes that Ukraine cede the entire Luhansk and Donetsk regions (Donbass) to Russia and halve its military presence.

New borders on the ground

According to details published by Axios, the plan demands the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from 14% of the Donbass territory it currently controls. The goal is to transform this area into a “demilitarized zone” where neither side will station soldiers or weapons.

In return, Moscow would freeze the front line in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions and could agree to return some territories if negotiations progress successfully.

Under Trump’s plan, the US and other countries would recognize Crimea and Donbass as Russian territory.

Although Ukraine would not be formally required to recognize this situation, Kyiv would be required to accept Russian as a state language and lift restrictions on the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Financial Times reports that the plan includes banning certain types of weapons for the Ukrainian army, halting the supply of Western-made long-range missiles, and preventing the deployment of any foreign military forces on Ukrainian territory.

Kyiv is “concerned”

Financial Times correspondent Christopher Miller claims that Trump’s proposal is “tantamount to Ukraine’s surrender.”

A source speaking to Axios explained the logic of American officials: “Ukraine is going to lose Donbass anyway, so it’s in their interest to make the deal now.”

Officials in Kyiv find Trump’s proposal “unacceptable” in its current form. American officials have reportedly communicated the details of the plan to Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

As part of the process, Steven Witkoff was scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ankara. However, Zelenskyy canceled this meeting.

According to a Ukrainian source who spoke to Axios, Zelenskyy wants to discuss Trump’s plan with European leaders.

An American official stated that Zelenskyy brought his own plan to Ankara, which was agreed upon with EU countries, but that this plan would never be supported by Russia.

Who are the architects of the plan?

The Wall Street Journal wrote that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the President’s Special Representative Steven Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law, businessman Jared Kushner, are working on this new plan to resolve the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv. NBC confirmed that Vice President J.D. Vance is also involved.

According to published reports, this team has held consultations with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian President’s Special Representative for International Cooperation. Dmitriev reportedly traveled to the US at the end of last month and discussed the concept with Witkoff.

WSJ sources note that the Trump administration is following an approach similar to the Gaza resolution process: preparing a comprehensive plan and then pressuring the conflicting parties to accept it.

The newspaper states that the work began after Trump instructed his aides to prepare new proposals that “contain incentives for both sides.”

For Russia, this incentive is defined as the resumption of economic relations with the West, and for Ukraine, it is reconstruction aid.

A senior American official told NBC, “The plan aims to provide security guarantees to both sides to achieve a lasting peace. It contains elements that Ukraine wants and needs.”

The official stated that the plan has been in development for several weeks and has received Trump’s approval.

According to the FT, Kyiv is demanding substantial changes to the plan. In a statement regarding the media reports, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled his readiness to cooperate with Washington, stating that “only Trump and the US have enough power to finally end the war.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov argued that there have been no “innovations” since the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska.

“No, in this case, there are no innovations in addition to what we call the ‘spirit of Anchorage’,” Peskov said.