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A new White House plan for the end of the war in Ukraine has been revealed with terms seen a not favorable to Ukraine and Europe.The new plan would see Kyiv cede territory to Russia, include US "de facto" recognition of Crimea and other Ukrainian territory forcibly seized by the Kremlin as Russian, and impose limits on the size of Ukraines military.According to a draft of the 28-point plan, which US President Donald Trump has reviewed and supports, many of the ideas put forward have been rejected in previous negotiations by Ukraine and European officials and would be seen as major concessions to Moscow. US officials insist the plan is still being developed and that any final agreement would require concessions from both sides. During a Thursday afternoon briefing, the White House press secretary said the plan remains in flux.The draft proposal outlines several stunning reversals of longstanding US policy to acknowledge Ukraines territorial integrity. It would require the US to recognize Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk as de facto Russian.For the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the borders would be frozen along the line of contact, which would constitute de facto recognition along that line. In exchange, Russia would relinquish other agreed territories it currently controls outside these five regions.A particularly contentious provision calls for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from the parts of Donetsk that they currently control. This withdrawal area would then be considered a neutral, demilitarized buffer zone, internationally recognized as territory belonging to the Russian Federation. The two countries would commit not to change the agreed-upon territorial arrangements by force.The plan also includes a commitment that Ukraine will not join NATO, that NATO will not station troops in Ukraine, and that European fighter jets be stationed in Poland. It limits the size of the Ukrainian armed forces to 600,000 personnel and calls for Ukrainian elections within 100 days.The implementation of the plan would be monitored and guaranteed by the Peace Council, headed by President Donald J. Trump, with sanctions imposed for violations. While security guarantees for Ukraine are noted, they are not detailed in the draft, though it states the US will receive compensation for its guarantee.
The proposal includes penalties for both sides: if Russia invades Ukraine again, global sanctions will be reinstated, and the recognition of new territory will be revoked. Conversely, if Ukraine launches an unprovoked missile at Moscow or St. Petersburg, the security guarantee will be deemed invalid.The draft outlines the return of Russia into the global community, including the lifting of sanctions and an invitation to rejoin the G8. It calls for all parties in the war to receive full amnesty for their actions during the war and agree not to make any future claimsa point that contrasts with the International Criminal Court warrant for President Vladimir Putin regarding the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children.The plan also calls for the return of all civilian detainees, hostages, children, and the exchange of all prisoners of war and bodies.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to work with the administration on the plan after meeting a top US military official in Kyiv, saying he was prepared for constructive, honest and swift work. However, a Russian journalist cited a Kremlin spokesperson as saying Moscow had not yet been informed that Zelensky was ready to discuss the plan.European and Ukrainian officials have been critical, noting the plan appears to repeat many of Moscows maximalist demands from earlier in the war.A European diplomat described the effort as reminding them of "Groundhog Day," calling the territorial demands a non-starter and stating it would be political suicide for any Ukrainian leader to accept. European officials emphasized that for any plan to work, it must involve both Ukrainians and Europeans.
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