American and Russian representatives have quietly written a new plan to end the war in Ukraine, according to which Kiev must hand over its territory and significantly reduce the size of its army, the British newspaper “Guardian“ wrote this morning, BTA reported in the press review.
The project, which was developed by US President Donald Trump's special envoy - Steve Witkoff, and Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev, imposes draconian measures on Ukraine that would give Russia unprecedented control over the country's army and political sovereignty. The plan is seen as a capitulation by Kiev, the publication notes.
It is not yet clear whether the project is officially supported by the Trump administration.
V. „Financial Times“ writes that under the proposal, Ukraine must hand over all the territory still under Kiev's control in the east of the country and reduce its army by half - conditions that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called impossible in the past. Other conditions include restrictions on American military aid and the types of weapons used by the Ukrainian army.
Sp. „Newsweek“ adds that under the plan, Russia would de facto gain control over the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, known as Donbass, but Ukraine would not be required to publicly recognize this. The US and the international community will recognize Crimea and Donbas as Russian territory.
In two other frontline areas - Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, the conflict "will be frozen along the current lines of control, and Russia will return some lands".
Two other countries - Qatar and Turkey - are also participating in the negotiations, noted “Newsweek“, referring to the publication “Axios“. Ankara and Doha played a key role in the acceptance of Trump's 20-point peace plan to end the war between Israel and “Hamas“.
The 28-point proposal, created without the participation of Ukraine, reflects the maximalist demands that the Kremlin made during the war and that Kiev has long rejected, defining them as capitulation, notes “The New York Times“.
This is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to resume stalled negotiations in the nearly 4-year war. But some Ukrainian analysts also see the proposal as a way for Russia to pressure Kiev for concessions at a time when President Volodymyr Zelensky's government is weakened by a high-level corruption scandal that could dissuade its allies from sending aid to the country.
Ukraine's forces are also under increasing pressure on the front line as Russian troops make gains against the exhausted Ukrainian army.
“One thing is clear. Ukraine's position is not strong at the moment, and this is seen not only in the country, but also by our partners, including the United States, and, of course, by the aggressor,“ Kostyantyn Eliseev, a former foreign policy adviser to the Ukrainian president who is now Zelensky's opponent, told the publication.
V. “Washington Post“ is looking for a connection between yesterday's visit by two senior US military commanders to Kiev and the new peace proposal.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who is leading the delegation, is the highest-ranking Pentagon official known to have visited Ukraine since Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. Driscoll's arrival in Ukraine on Tuesday was preceded by a secret meeting in Miami last weekend between Witkoff and senior advisers to the Ukrainian president.
It is not yet known whether or how the US secretary's trip may be related to Witkoff's talks, the “Washington Post“ notes.
According to a US defense official, Driscoll will study “efforts to end the war“ in Ukraine. He described the trip as a "fact-finding mission," but declined to provide details about who in the Ukrainian government the U.S. delegation met with or what they discussed.
Politico reported that Ukraine and Europe were surprised when Witkoff's plan was made public - a particularly sharp blow because they had just been left with the impression that Trump was finally starting to realize Putin's insincerity about reaching an agreement.
As European and U.S. officials sought clarity on the draft, they said many aspects of it were subject to change, including the role of NATO and any Ukrainian territorial concessions to Russia.
Ukraine sees NATO membership as a guarantee of its security against a future Russian invasion. While some European countries support Kiev, the United States rejects such an option, and Moscow has long insisted that Ukraine not join the defense alliance, perceiving it as a threat.
European allies are also worried about territorial concessions to Russia, which they see as rewarding Moscow's aggression and setting a worrying precedent.
“We are not informed about this (the plan)“, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful told reporters yesterday. “Attempts by all international partners to finally bring President Putin to the negotiating table continue. We, of course, support everything that leads in this direction. We are focused on supporting Ukraine and in this way we are letting Putin know that there is no alternative to the negotiation process“, he stressed.