Details of Washington's 28-Point Peace Plan Between Russia and Ukraine

Similar to what happened in Gaza, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has prepared a 28-point peace plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, according to U.S. officials.

The officials explained that "the U.S. administration is trying to follow the same approach it used to reach a ceasefire in Gaza last month, which is to formulate a proposal with several points and then pressure the warring parties to accept it," as reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

However, this plan, which was developed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff in consultation with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, and Kirill Dmitriev, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, may face strong opposition from Kyiv and European governments, according to a European official.

Transfer of Donbas

Notably, the discussions regarding this proposal took place between the U.S. team and Dmitriev, with little to no input from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European officials.

The proposal also calls for Ukraine to completely transfer the Donbas region in the east of the country to Russia, including territories currently controlled by the Ukrainian armed forces.

Additionally, the proposal urges Ukraine to agree to abandon its dream of joining NATO for at least several years, without being allowed to deploy an international peacekeeping force within the country to deter any further Russian aggression.

Security Guarantees

In return, Ukraine would receive some form of security guarantees from the United States, with Russia pledging not to launch further attacks on Ukrainian territory or any other countries in Europe.

Moscow would formalize this commitment in clear legislation, according to the officials.

In this context, a senior U.S. official stated that Trump does not see his mission as recovering the territories seized by Russia, but rather seeks an agreement that stops the fighting in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have made slow but steady gains despite the high costs after nearly four years of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Analysts noted that forcing Ukraine to withdraw from Donbas would make it easier for Russian forces to penetrate other areas of the country.

Meanwhile, supporters of the U.S. proposal argued that the gradual Russian gains on the ground and the corruption scandal involving Zelensky's associates would increase pressure on Kyiv to reach an agreement. However, a Western official expressed skepticism, stating that Zelensky has become less able to maneuver due to investigations into corruption cases, adding that a retreat from core security positions would undermine his standing domestically.

European Surprise

It is worth noting that European allies expressed surprise at reports about this plan. German Foreign Minister Johan Wadipol told reporters on Wednesday that his country had not been informed of the details of the proposal.

European officials also clarified that the general framework of the plan, as they understood it, includes many elements that have long been considered unacceptable.

In contrast, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the proposal as "an exchange of serious and realistic ideas" and not an imposition that the United States seeks to enforce on both parties. He wrote in a post on his X account today: "Achieving lasting peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions... That is why we continue to develop a list of potential ideas to end this war based on input from both sides."

All these developments came after Trump expressed his disappointment yesterday that his relationship with Putin did not lead to a quick peace agreement, despite his promise during the 2024 election campaign to reach an agreement within 24 hours of returning to the White House. He said, "I am a little frustrated with President Putin, and he knows that."

Later, White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt clarified that Trump "has become frustrated with both sides for refusing to commit to a peace agreement." However, she confirmed at the same time that Trump and his team never give up, adding that Washington is working on a detailed and mutually acceptable plan to achieve lasting and stable peace.