Fri. Nov 21st, 2025

President Donald Trump and his Administration have reportedly drafted a 28-point plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The widely-leaked proposal is said to propose Kyiv reduce its army and make land concessions—something Ukraine has previously staunchly ruled out as a possibility.

The draft proposal, a copy of which has been published by the Associated Press, comes after meetings between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart, Kirill Dmitriev.

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Thursday press briefing that Trump and his team remain “steadfast” in their efforts to end the war (which was triggered when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022) and have been “engaged with both sides.”

“The President supports this plan, it’s a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine, and we believe it should be acceptable to both sides,” said Leavitt, adding that Trump has “grown increasingly frustrated” with both countries.

TIME has reached out to the White House for further comment.

A long-time aim of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also been shut down in the proposal, which reportedly includes a pledge that Ukraine won’t join NATO.

Ukraine’s pursuit for NATO membership has been widely documented and is a point of contention for Russia. At the annual NATO Summit earlier in June, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said: “NATO has no business in Ukraine. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, neither Russia, my job is to keep it as it is.”

Trump’s new plan also reportedly states that a dialogue will be held between Russia and NATO, mediated by the U.S., to resolve security issues and that no troops from the western security alliance will be stationed in Ukraine. The proposal also suggests that $100 billion in frozen Russian assets be invested in U.S.-led efforts to rebuild Ukraine.

In August, Trump told Zelensky to give up on the idea of Ukraine reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO. “President Zelensky of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump said via Truth Social, stating there was “no getting back” Crimea and “no going into NATO by Ukraine.”

Ahead of the new proposal leaking, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted on Wednesday that “a durable peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions.”

“Ending a complex and deadly war such as the one in Ukraine requires an extensive exchange of serious and realistic ideas,” he argued. “That is why we are and will continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides of this conflict.”

In a video address on Thursday night, Zelensky responded to the U.S-drafted plan for peace and revealed he had spent the day meeting with a “high-level delegation” of U.S. representatives, including U.S. Secretary of the Army, Daniel Driscoll.

“The American side presented points of a plan to end the war—their vision. I outlined our key principles,” he told more than 8 million followers on X. “We agreed that our teams will work on the points to ensure it’s all genuine. We’re geared up for clear and honest work—Ukraine, the U.S., our European, and global partners.

Zelensky emphasized the need for a “real” and “dignified peace”—one that “will not be broken by a third invasion,” with terms that “respect our independence, our sovereignty, and the independence of the Ukrainian people.”

The Ukrainian leader said his parliament’s number one priority is for a “constructive, diplomatic process with the United States and all partners.”

European officials have also responded to the draft proposal.

“We are supportive of any plan that brings about a just and lasting peace,” said Kaja Kallas, the E.U. high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

“As for the peace plan we understand President Zelensky has been presented with, we have always said that for any peace plan to work, it has to be with Ukraine and with the Europeans on board,” Kallas emphasized on Friday morning.

President of the European council António Costa said that the E.U. has yet to review the proposal, but “remains fully committed to ensure an unwavering support to Ukraine based on the principles of the United Nations charter.”

Standing alongside Costa at the G20 summit in South Africa, president of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen said that Europe has “stood by Ukraine” since day one and will continue to do so.

Von der Leyen added that she will be holding talks with European leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit, as well as speaking with Zelensky directly regarding the proposal, arguing that “nothing” can be discussed about Ukraine without the country’s active participation.

The E.U. announced its 19th package of sanctions on Russia last month, swiftly after the U.S. confirmed its own renewed set of measures against Moscow and its top oil companies.

Meanwhile, the Coalition of the Willing, composed of over 30 countries, has previously committed to deploying troops on the ground in Ukraine after a cease-fire, but the U.S. proposal looks to prevent such a peacekeeping force from being established, should it come into place.

Read More: Zelensky on Trump, Putin, and the Endgame in Ukraine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed on Friday, via a spokesperson, that he had met with Zelensky, U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the proposal.

“The four heads of state and government welcomed the efforts of the United States to end the war in Ukraine. In particular, they welcomed the commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and the willingness to provide Ukraine with solid security guarantees,” a statement from German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius read.

The leaders also agreed that “any agreement affecting European states, the European Union, or NATO requires the approval of the European partners or a consensus among the allies,” as well as ensuring that “Ukrainian armed forces remain capable of effectively defending Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

TIME has reached out to all respective governments for comment.

Russia said Friday that it has not received an official proposal from the U.S.

“If there is official information, materials will be transmitted through the appropriate channels—we always do so openly,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti.

Prime Minister Orbán of Hungary said in response to the reported proposal that he believes the coming weeks “will be decisive” and hinted that a “Budapest peace summit” could be on the horizon, according to Russian state media TASS.

Trump and Putin were set to meet in Budapest last month, but the White House canceled. Expressing frustration with Putin, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the summit, of sorts, had been put on hold as he didn’t want to have a “wasted meeting.”

The two world leaders met in Alaska in August to discuss a possible path toward peace, but the high-stakes summit ended earlier than expected, with no deal being reached. Some critics argued that Putin achieved more wins than Trump as a result of the sit-down—which was the first in-person meeting between the world leaders since 2019.

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