McConnell, Wicker Blast Trump’s 28‑Point Ukraine Plan as Rewarding Putin, Undermining U.S. Interests

Senators Mitch McConnell (R‑Ky.) and Roger Wicker (R‑Miss.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sharply criticized President Trump’s quietly negotiated 28‑point proposal to end the Russia‑Ukraine war, calling it a reward to Russian President Vladimir Putin that would damage U.S. and allied security.

The draft plan reportedly would place the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea under de facto Russian control with U.S. recognition, reduce the size of Ukraine’s armed forces, and bar NATO troops from being stationed in the country — effectively ruling out a European peacekeeping presence. It would also direct roughly $100 billion in frozen Russian assets toward Ukraine’s reconstruction while removing sanctions and restoring Russia’s full access to the global economy.

U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll discussed the proposal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Senate critics say the terms offer too many concessions to Moscow while imposing difficult, sovereign decisions on Ukraine.

“This so‑called ‘peace plan’ has real problems, and I am highly skeptical it will achieve peace,” Wicker said in a statement. “Ukraine should not be forced to give up its lands to one of the world’s most flagrant war criminals in Vladimir Putin. The size and disposition of Ukraine’s armed forces is a sovereign choice for its government and people.”

Wicker added that any reassurance given to Putin should not reward malign behavior or weaken the security of the United States and its allies, warning against naïve arms‑control talks with a leader he described as a “serial liar and killer.”

“Putin has spent the entire year trying to play President Trump for a fool,” McConnell said in his own statement. “If administration officials are more concerned with appeasing Putin than securing real peace, then the President ought to find new advisors. Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America’s interests.”

McConnell compared the proposed concessions to a historic U.S. retreat, arguing that a capitulation would harm the long‑standing policy of peace through strength.

President Zelensky has not rejected the draft outright but said Ukraine faces an agonizing choice between preserving its sovereign rights and risking the loss of critical U.S. support. In a speech, he described the current pressure on Kyiv as among the hardest the country has ever faced and confirmed talks with Secretary Driscoll and Vice President Vance on the plan.

President Trump said he gave Kyiv a deadline to accept the proposal by Thursday, while allowing that deadlines could be extended if talks progress. In comments to Fox News Radio, he called Thursday an “appropriate time.” Later, speaking with reporters after a meeting with New York City Mayor‑elect Zohran Mamdani, the president suggested that Mr. Zelensky would ultimately have to accept some version of the plan or continue fighting.

The draft has drawn a cool reception from many European governments and other staunch supporters of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin, by contrast, said the proposal could form the basis for a final settlement while claiming it had not been discussed with Moscow in any substantive way. Putin also asserted that Ukraine and its European allies remain under illusions about inflicting a strategic battlefield defeat on Russia.

The proposal’s critics say it risks legitimizing territorial gains made by force, undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty, and weakening deterrence by rewarding aggression. Proponents argue that any realistic path to peace will require difficult compromises — but the debate highlights deep divisions over how best to secure a durable and just settlement.