Donald Trump’s administration and Russia have drafted a peace plan for the war in Ukraine which would see Kyiv forced to give up territory, according to reports.
Officials have been working on a 28-point plan covering peace, security guarantees and future US relations with Russia and Ukraine.
This would include Ukraine handing over control of the contested eastern Donbas region to Russia while keeping legal control of the land, with Moscow paying a lease for its de facto control.
Russian would also be made an official state language and the Russian Orthodox Church officially established in occupied regions.
Trump has repeatedly sought to end the war raging since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but his position on how this might be done has changed several times.
Ukraine and other European countries are not thought to have been consulted on the plan which was condemned by former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace.
“This is another attempt by the Trump and the Kremlin to do a sort of grubby stitch-up,” he told Times Radio.
He said Russia was sticking to its demands, since the start of Putin’’s, and was “determined to try and see it through”.
He added: “They just keep on pushing, they don’t concede anything and eventually they see that Donald Trump despite the threats actually just ends up taking their side, or taking their speaking lines and that is exactly what you are seeing on the 28-point plan.”
He suggested that there was a commercial motive behind the proposed plan for Ukraine to boost US-Russia economic ties.
The US has reportedly indicated to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine will be made to accept the deal.
It would reportedly see the embattled country forced to give up territory and some weapons, with sources suggesting this could include cutting the size of the Ukrainian armed forces and giving up long-range missiles.
Washington wants Kyiv to accept the main points of the deal, say sources.
Such a plan would represent a major setback for Kyiv as it faces further Russian territorial gains in eastern Ukraine and with Mr Zelensky tackling a corruption scandal, which on Wednesday saw parliament dismiss the energy and justice ministers.
President Mr Zelensky will meet with US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and other officials in Kyiv later on Thursday.
The 28-point plan was first reported on by Axios news.
The plan has not yet been confirmed by Moscow or Washington and the White House declined to comment on the matter.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that Washington "will continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides of this conflict."
"Ending a complex and deadly war such as the one in Ukraine requires an extensive exchange of serious and realistic ideas. And achieving a durable peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions," Mr Rubio said.
A senior Ukrainian official earlier said that Kyiv had received "signals" about a set of US proposals to end the war that Washington has discussed with Russia. Ukraine has had no role in preparing the proposals, the source said.
In comments on Telegram, Mr Zelensky did not mention Washington's framework but called for effective US leadership to help bring the more than 3 1/2-year-old war to an end.
"The main thing for stopping the bloodshed and achieving lasting peace is that we work in coordination with all our partners and that American leadership remains effective, strong," Zelensky wrote.
Mr Zelensky said only the United States and Trump "have sufficient strength for the war to finally come to an end."
Europe welcomes peace efforts in Ukraine but expects to be consulted on them, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said, adding that Ukraine should not have its ability to defend itself limited.
“We command peace efforts, but... it’s, of course, Europe’s security that’s at stake. So we expect to be consulted,” he stressed.
“I hope it’s not the victim that has restrictions on its ability to defend itself put on, but it’s the aggressor.”
French Foreign Minister Barrot blamed Putin for standing in the way of peace in Ukraine.
“The Ukrainians... do not want any form of capitulation,” he added.
