Critics Say Trump’s 28-Point Plan Amounts to Ukraine’s Surrender

The Trump administration circulated a 28-point plan this week that critics in Kyiv and across Europe characterize as heavily tilted toward Moscow and tantamount to a demand that Ukraine surrender. The package, formally presented in Kyiv by a senior U.S. official, would require major territorial, security and constitutional concessions that Ukrainian leaders call unacceptable.

What the plan proposes

The published details outline several provisions that would reshape Ukraine’s security posture and postwar recovery:

• Ukraine would cede territory not currently under Russian control, effectively giving Russia control over parts of the contested Donbas region.
• The Ukrainian armed forces would be capped at 600,000 personnel, down from roughly 900,000 today.
• Ukraine would be required to enshrine in its constitution a permanent renunciation of NATO membership and a ban on hosting foreign troops on its soil.
• A clause would allocate 50% of proceeds from frozen Russian sovereign assets to the United States, complicating European proposals to use those funds for Kyiv’s reconstruction.
• The document offers vague security guarantees, conditional language leaving EU accession open, and reassurances about Ukrainian sovereignty, but many say these protections are insufficient.

Political and diplomatic fallout

Ukrainian civil society figures and officials have denounced the plan. "The government must reject it. Ukrainian society won’t accept this," said Olena Halushka of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory. Ukrainian leaders say the proposal would amount to capitulation.

U.S. officials reportedly seek a rapid decision — with a deadline suggested by some at Thanksgiving and a final wrap-up by early December — and have warned that military aid and intelligence sharing could be reduced if Kyiv refuses. That pressure has raised alarm in Ukraine and among European partners.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is willing to engage with American proposals but warned that Ukraine faces “one of the most difficult moments in our history,” forced to weigh “the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner.”

Questions behind the document

The release of the plan appears to reflect uneasy diplomacy between Washington and Moscow. A senior U.S. envoy with a reputation for being pro-Kyiv resigned shortly after the plan leaked, and other senior diplomatic figures have been notably quiet. Intermediaries with ties to both sides were reported to have drafted much of the package, and early published versions contained factual and typographical errors that critics say point to amateur drafting.

Despite questions about its provenance, the White House has signaled support for the plan. Administration spokespeople say the president backs the proposal and wants to get an agreement that both sides can accept. The Kremlin has been circumspect, offering no public confirmation that it has agreed to the package.

Domestic pressures in Kyiv

Zelenskyy is confronting the diplomatic pressure while also managing domestic political turmoil. He recently dismissed two senior officials amid a widening corruption scandal and faces calls to remove his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. Those internal strains have weakened political unity at a moment when Ukrainian leaders need to maintain broad international support.

Can Europe fill the gap?

Analysts say Europe has already become Ukraine’s principal military backer in many respects and can provide significant financial and materiel support. Still, some U.S.-supplied systems — notably certain air-defense platforms — have no direct European equivalents. A cutoff of American intelligence sharing would also hamper Kyiv’s ability to defend against missile strikes and to carry out operations inside Russian-held territory.

Some commentators view the asset-allocation clause as a direct challenge to European plans to repurpose frozen Russian sovereign assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction. "Only Europe can make these demands irrelevant," said Halushka, urging coordinated European action to protect Ukraine’s long-term recovery.

What comes next

Even as the plan leans heavily toward Russia, it may not satisfy Moscow’s own expectations. It calls for "de facto" rather than formal recognition of territories held by Russia and would require Moscow to relinquish claims to Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — demands that could prove contentious. For now, the proposal appears unlikely to be accepted in its current form by Kyiv, and it may not secure Moscow’s endorsement either. The path forward remains uncertain, with high stakes for Ukraine’s sovereignty, Western unity, and the broader security architecture of Europe.