US 28‑Point Draft Forces Ukraine to Weigh Major Territorial Concessions and NATO Renunciation

Kyiv is urgently assessing a controversial US-drafted 28‑point proposal that would require Ukraine to cede territory, shrink its armed forces, constitutionally renounce NATO membership and hold snap elections. The draft, publicly backed by President Donald Trump, has prompted intense consultations between President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European partners as officials stress the document remains a working draft.

Key proposals in the draft

According to the draft, the United States would recognise as "de facto Russian" the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the Moscow-annexed Crimea. Ukrainian forces would be expected to withdraw from parts of Donetsk currently under Kyiv's control, while front lines in the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions would be frozen. Russia would relinquish only small pockets seized in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk.

The proposal also envisions lifting Western sanctions on Russia, potentially readmitting Moscow to the G8, and offering Ukraine unspecified "reliable security guarantees" in exchange for reductions in the size of its military and a constitutional ban on joining NATO. European aircraft would reportedly be stationed in neighbouring NATO-member Poland under elements of the plan.

Responses and negotiations

Kyiv has not accepted or rejected the draft. Ukraine's lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said he met US military officials to discuss the proposal and reiterated that "there can be no decisions outside the framework of our sovereignty, the security of our people, or our red lines — now or ever." President Zelensky said he would discuss the plan with President Trump "in the coming days" and has been consulting with French, British and German leaders.

"The effective work of the Russian armed forces should convince Zelensky: it is better to negotiate and do it now rather than later," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that the "space for the freedom of decision-making is shrinking for him as territories are lost."

The White House says the draft was not prepared with Moscow and cautions the document remains a work in progress. White House press officials have said President Trump "supports" the plan and called it "a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine." Kremlin officials say they have not formally received the proposal.

Context and implications

Observers note the draft reflects shifts in US posture since President Trump returned to office and would effectively formalise many of Moscow's wartime gains if implemented. The plan arrives as Russian forces press forward on the battlefield and as Kyiv faces domestic political pressure following a corruption scandal in the energy sector.

For now, Kyiv continues to consult closely with Western partners. Ukrainian officials emphasize that any agreement must preserve Ukraine's sovereignty and respect its red lines.