Luitkoff's Comment on X Reveals Leak of Proposal Regarding Ukraine

Leaks regarding a U.S. proposal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, which calls for Kyiv to concede some of its territory to the Russians, have raised several European concerns and sparked debate about the sources of the leak.

This comes as U.S. sources confirmed that Keith Kellogg, the special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump to Ukraine, informed his aides that he intends to leave the administration next January, according to a report by Reuters on Thursday.

This follows revelations from two informed sources yesterday that the United States indicated to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that his country should accept a framework crafted by Washington to end the war with Russia, which proposes that Kyiv concede territories and reduce the size of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Who is "K"?

A comment from U.S. envoy Steve Luitkoff hinted at the source of the leak. In a comment on an article shared by Axios reporter Barak Ravid about this U.S. plan, Luitkoff wrote, "He must have gotten this information from K," without fully naming the individual, which was interpreted as a reference to Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, who typically participates in negotiations with the Americans regarding Ukraine.

Luitkoff later deleted the comment, increasing speculation and ambiguity. Some American journalists considered that Luitkoff intended to send a private message on X but mistakenly posted it in the comments section.

Several American newspapers revealed the outlines of the U.S. proposal to end the war in recent hours. This proposal or plan stipulates that Ukraine fully cede the Donbas region located in the east of the country to Russia, including territories currently controlled by Ukrainian forces.

It also stipulates that Kyiv agrees to abandon its dream of joining NATO and not allow the deployment of an international peacekeeping force within the country to deter any further Russian aggression.

In return, Kyiv would receive some form of U.S. security guarantees, with a commitment from Russia not to launch further attacks on Ukrainian territory.

It is noted that U.S. officials indicated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Luitkoff, and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner developed this latest proposal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, consisting of 28 points, in direct consultation with Dmitriev, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, without significant input from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or other officials in Europe and Ukraine, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Informed sources also confirmed that Washington made it clear to Zelensky that he should accept the proposal and its main points, as reported by Reuters.