Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline react with mixed feelings to initial US peace plan

Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline have reacted to US draft peace proposals with a mix of defiance, anger and doom, write Jonathan Beale, Anastasia Levchenko and Volodymyr Lozhko for BBC Ukraine.

The BBC spoke to half a dozen fighters via social media and email in response to the initial US plan, details of which were leaked to the media last week.

Since then, US and Ukrainian negotiators have been working on changes to the plan and are preparing to continue talks to reach a “framework peace agreement“.

Yaroslav from eastern Ukraine believes the US peace plan is “terrible... no one will support it“, while the army medic with the call sign Stutzer calls it “an absolutely disgraceful draft peace plan, unworthy of our attention“.

Meanwhile, another fighter, with the call sign ''Zmiy'', points out: “It is time to at least agree on something.“

Here is what the Ukrainian military, who commented to the BBC, said about some of the key points of the initial draft of the US peace plan.

Giving up territory

The US presented a draft peace proposal at a time when Russia is making significant progress on the battlefield. In the last month alone, Ukraine has lost another 450 sq. km.

Kiev still controls about 15% of Donbas, which is Russia's declared key military objective. The original US plan proposed that Ukraine give up the entire region, even those parts that it had successfully defended during almost four years of full-scale war, in exchange for a rent payment from Russia.

"Let them take it", ''Zmiy'' told the BBC. "Anyway, there is no one left in the cities and villages. Essentially, we are fighting not to defend people, but for land and we are losing people."

Andrey, an officer in the General Staff of Ukraine, believes that what is proposed for the Luhansk and Donetsk regions is "painful and difficult" solution, but suggests the country may have no other choice.

Ukraine has been defending the region since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and its forces seized parts of Donbas.

''We may not want to give it up, but we will not be able to hold it with military force and means“, Andriy points out.

Eastern Ukraine has been the scene of the heaviest fighting in the war, and Ukraine has lost tens of thousands of soldiers defending it.

A sailor who has been fighting since 2018 told the media that abandoning Donbas would "turn everything around - all the efforts of the Armed Forces“.

"This is a disregard for the lives of fallen soldiers and civilians“, he believes.

Army Downsizing

The draft US peace plan would limit the size of Ukraine's Armed Forces to 600,000. That's still significantly more than before the full-scale invasion, when they numbered around 250,000, but fewer than they are now. Recent estimates put the Ukrainian army at over 800,000.

'Zmiy' believes the country will need many of those currently in uniform to help rebuild Ukraine after the war.

"We, the men, must rebuild the country after the war. Why do we need so many people in the army if there are security guarantees?“, he asks.

General Staff officer Andrey agrees.

"If there are security guarantees, then, of course, there is no point in maintaining such a large army“, he points out.

"People are tired and want to return to their families.“ "There is no point in keeping them in the peacetime army after the war”, Andrey adds.

He also believes that Ukraine's economy will not be able to support such a large Armed Forces in peacetime.

Frontline medic Shtuzer is of the opposite opinion. According to him, the Ukrainian army is "the only thing that separates us from defeat and slavery".

Security guarantees

Ukraine's willingness to agree to the proposals will depend on future security guarantees.

The draft US plan excludes Ukraine from NATO membership, but not from the European Union. It promises security guarantees from the US in the event of a new Russian attack, but there are no details on the scale of this support. It also prohibits the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine if a peace agreement is signed.

According to Yevgeny, a drone operator in eastern Ukraine, he believes that the presence of foreign troops in the country is an important security guarantee.

Great Britain and France are leading efforts to create "guarantee forces" in the event of a ceasefire through the "Coalition of the Willing".

"I like the British plan to send troops from the 'Coalition of the Willing' into Ukraine - this is the only plan that will help us win, to get allied troops in", says Yevgeny.

However, Andrei does not believe that Europe can provide significant security guarantees.

"Europe has turned out to be completely spineless and disunited. "It turns out that all hope lies only with the United States," he believes.

However, other military officials say they do not have much confidence in the United States.

""The US security guarantees under the current government are not security guarantees at all," Stutzer believes.

Elections

The US draft plan also proposes holding new elections in Ukraine within 100 days of the end of the war. According to the Ukrainian constitution, elections cannot be held during wartime.

There is already a noticeable increase in dissatisfaction with the current government, which is facing serious allegations of corruption. Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) is investigating allegations of personal enrichment under energy sector contracts worth $100 million.

As a result, two key ministers have been dismissed, who deny the charges. A former deputy prime minister and a business partner of the president are also under investigation. The scandal has led to political conflict and dominated Ukrainian news.

The issue is also being discussed at the front. Among the military personnel we interviewed, there is support for new elections.

"Of course, they are necessary. Those currently in power are not trustworthy... Especially in light of recent events," says ''Zmiy''.

Another military officer, Marin, also supports the elections, arguing that the current government "must be cleansed of corruption".

Meanwhile, Andriy agrees that new elections require "a complete reboot of power", although not "right now".

New elections are perhaps the least controversial element of the plan. But overall, there are serious doubts about the American proposals.

Yaroslav tells us that they simply “won't work”, and Alexander, a signal officer, dismisses them with a curse.

The only clear message from the conversations with the Ukrainian soldiers is that many are tired of the war.

Andrey has reservations about some of the proposals, but concludes: “If this plan stops the war, then it suits me.“