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Bolton: Trump’s 28-Point Peace Proposal ‘Sells Out Ukraine’ and Risks Appeasement

John Bolton blasted President Trump’s newly reported 28-point peace proposal as effectively written "from the Russian point of view," saying it would "sell out" Ukraine. The draft would recognize "de facto" Russian control of Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk and asks for roughly $100 billion in frozen assets for reconstruction while requiring few concessions from Moscow. U.S., Ukrainian and European officials are set to continue talks in Switzerland after a U.S. visit to Kyiv. Bolton warned the plan risks rewarding aggression and urged a full rewrite rather than small adjustments.

09:00 AM, 11/23/2025Conflict

Former national security adviser John Bolton sharply criticized President Trump’s newly surfaced 28-point proposal to end the Russia–Ukraine war, arguing the plan appears to have been drafted "from the Russian point of view." Bolton said the document is so favorable to Moscow that "the Russians couldn’t have written a better treaty themselves."

Appearing on NewsNation’s On Balance with Leland Vittert, Bolton warned the proposal would amount to "selling out Ukraine" and questioned whether the president truly cares about Kyiv’s interests. "What he wants is a deal, and it’s part of the quest for the Nobel Peace Prize," Bolton added.

The plan, reportedly negotiated quietly between the U.S. administration and Moscow, would recognize "de facto" Russian control of Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk — concessions Kyiv is likely to reject. Aside from a provision directing roughly $100 billion in frozen Russian assets toward Ukraine’s reconstruction, the draft appears to demand few major concessions from Russia.

U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll traveled to Kyiv to discuss the proposal with President Volodymyr Zelensky, and officials from Ukraine, the United States and several European countries are expected to meet in Switzerland for further talks.

"This treaty rewards unprovoked aggression," Bolton said. "If, in fact, Trump is able to force Ukraine to accept this, this is a Neville Chamberlain moment. It really is. This is Munich."

President Trump has publicly urged Ukraine to accept a deal by Thanksgiving, saying Zelensky will eventually have to accept some version of a proposal or continue fighting. "He'll have to like it, and if he doesn't like it, they'll just have to keep fighting, I guess," Trump told reporters.

Some Republican leaders have also criticized the proposal, arguing it would reward Russian President Vladimir Putin nearly four years after the invasion. Bolton urged that the plan needs substantial reworking rather than minor tweaks: "This thing should start over," he said, expressing hope that Zelensky and others in Washington could persuade the president to demand major changes.

Bolton has long been a vocal critic of Trump. Last month, a federal grand jury indicted him on charges related to transmitting and retaining national defense information; his case is proceeding slowly toward trial.

Steff Danielle Thomas contributed.

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