Trump’s Ukraine Peace Plan Would Force Kyiv to Surrender Donbas and Shrink Military, Leaked Proposal Reveals

A draft peace proposal prepared by the Trump administration would require Ukraine to relinquish control of the entire Donbas region and significantly scale back its military strength in exchange for American security guarantees, according to a Western official familiar with the document.

The 28-point framework — reviewed by former President Donald Trump — marks Washington’s most ambitious attempt yet to end Russia’s full-scale invasion. But several provisions mirror demands Russia has pushed since the earliest weeks of the war, raising immediate alarm among Ukraine’s allies.

US officials describe the document as a work in progress. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it amounted to “a list of potential ideas” rather than a final blueprint, stressing that any lasting peace would require “difficult but necessary concessions” from both sides.

Even at this early stage, however, the leaked details are expected to provoke fierce resistance from Kyiv. Parts of Donetsk and Luhansk remain under Ukrainian control, and senior diplomats say no Ukrainian government could survive politically if it accepted such terms.

The proposal would also freeze front lines in the contested southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — effectively leaving Russian forces in place. Moscow has previously demanded Ukraine surrender the territories outright.

Another contentious requirement is the reduction of Ukraine’s armed forces, including curbs on advanced weaponry supplied by Western partners since 2022. The plan also raises cultural and religious issues, including the future status of the Russian language and the Russian Orthodox Church inside post-war Ukraine.

In return, the United States would extend security guarantees intended to deter further Russian advances or wider European instability, the Western official said.

Diplomats across Europe reacted with confusion and irritation, saying they were blindsided by the leak. One European envoy stationed in Kyiv compared the proposal to “Groundhog Day” — a recycled version of demands rejected at every stage of peace talks since 2022.

“This has all been gone through before,” the envoy told CNN. “For Ukrainians, it’s a non-starter. It would invite Russia to come back and finish the job.”

Foreign ministries across the continent have reportedly been calling Washington for clarity, only to be told that many in the US government were also unaware the plan even existed.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was blunt on Thursday, insisting any credible peace plan must have Ukrainian and European support. Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said Kyiv must retain the capability to defend itself, stressing Europe’s far greater stake in the conflict’s outcome.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been leading the quiet diplomatic push, with talks accelerating this week after US officials sensed what they believe to be a shift in Moscow’s tone.

A Pentagon delegation led by US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll also travelled to Kyiv for meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior Ukrainian officials — discussions that included the draft peace terms. Washington hopes the visit could reopen diplomatic channels after months of stalled negotiations.

Still, with Ukraine unlikely to accept territorial losses or military restrictions, and European capitals expressing frustration at being kept out of the loop, the path toward any agreement appears fraught. The leaked proposal has exposed deep divisions over how — and by whom — peace should be brokered as the war approaches its fourth year.