The White House says a US proposal backed by President Donald Trump to end the war in Ukraine is "good" for both sides, calling the initiative "ongoing" and "in flux." Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the plan has the president's support and should be acceptable to both Kyiv and Moscow. She also said the plan has been developed quietly over about a month by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff together with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The proposal has been circulated in media reports and described by a senior source as a 28-point draft that would require significant Ukrainian concessions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office said Kyiv has received the proposal and expects to discuss its points with President Trump in the coming days.
Key points attributed to the plan
Territory
According to reports, the draft calls for the recognition of Crimea and other territories currently held by Russian forces. Russian troops occupy roughly a fifth of Ukraine's territory following years of fighting, and Moscow asserts it has annexed Crimea (2014) and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson (2022).
Ukrainian officials maintain they will not voluntarily recognise Russian sovereignty over Ukrainian land, though Kyiv has acknowledged that some recovery may ultimately require diplomacy rather than battlefield gains. President Zelensky has warned that ceding control of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk could threaten Ukraine's security and sovereignty.
Army and weapons
The draft reportedly would require Ukraine to reduce its armed forces to about 400,000 personnel and to give up long-range weapons. Other accounts say it would bar the deployment of Western combat troops on Ukrainian soil. The plan is also said to include vaguely worded provisions for Kyiv to negotiate security guarantees with the United States and European partners.
Kyiv has been seeking concrete, Western-backed guarantees — ideally NATO membership or equivalent defence arrangements and a European peacekeeping presence — to deter future aggression.
Origins and reactions
Observers and unnamed sources say the plan closely resembles longstanding Russian demands, prompting questions about whether Moscow influenced its drafting. Officials who have seen or discussed the draft stress uncertainty about whether it reflects the president's personal position or the views of advisers and envoys involved in its preparation.
Leavitt framed the plan as a potential way to "invigorate diplomacy." Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented that a durable settlement would require both sides to accept difficult concessions. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned any settlement must have Kyiv's agreement and stressed that there has been no equivalent Russian concession to date.
On-the-ground developments
The discussion of the plan coincided with conflicting reports about fighting in the east: Russian authorities claimed to have retaken the city of Kupiansk, while Ukrainian forces denied losing it. President Vladimir Putin visited a frontline command post as the situation remained fluid.
Implications
The draft has generated concern that a negotiated settlement could entrench Russian territorial gains and leave Ukraine exposed to renewed threats without clear, enforceable security guarantees. Kyiv's response is cautious: officials have accepted receipt of the proposal but have not endorsed its contents publicly, saying instead that talks with Washington will continue.
Leavitt: "It's ongoing and it's in flux, but the president supports this plan. It's a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine, and we believe that it should be acceptable to both sides."
As diplomatic discussions proceed, key questions remain about the plan's details, whether Moscow played a role in shaping it, and whether any agreement would secure lasting peace without undermining Ukraine's sovereignty.
