Why Ukraine is alarmed by the alleged US-Russia 28-point peace plan

Ukraine could be confronted with difficult choices following reports that the United States and Russia have secretly formulated a peace plan to end the ongoing war, potentially requiring significant concessions to Moscow.

Senior US military officials, as per multiple reports, are in Ukraine on Thursday (November 20) as part of a “fact-finding mission” to meet Ukrainian officials and discuss efforts to end the war with Russia. The delegation reportedly includes several high-ranking Army officials, among them Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who aim to assess the situation on the ground and push forward peace efforts.

Secret 28-point peace plan emerges

The visit comes amid media reports that Washington and Moscow have secretly drafted a new 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, reportedly without Kyiv’s involvement. The plan, first reported by Axios, is said to be modeled on the Gaza peace agreement.

A senior Ukrainian official also told the news outlet that they have received signals about a set of US proposals to end the war, but we had no role in preparing them.

Kremlin denies new proposals

The Kremlin denied that there have been any new peace proposals since Russian President Vladimir Putin met US President Donald Trump in August. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was nothing he could share publicly when asked about the Axios report.

US signals work in progress

The White House has not explicitly confirmed the 28-point plan. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Ending a complex and deadly war such as the one in Ukraine requires an extensive exchange of serious and realistic ideas. And achieving a durable peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions. That is why we are and will continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides of this conflict.”

Ukraine’s response

Ukraine’s leadership has not publicly commented on the plan. First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia suggested that Moscow is behind attempts to hype “a factory of unrealistic plans.”

European concerns

European diplomats expressed concern over reports of a peace plan developed without Ukrainian or regional involvement. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said: “For any plan to work, it needs to have Ukrainians and Europeans on board. In this war, there is one aggressor and one victim. So far, we haven’t heard of any concessions from Russia’s side.”

Territorial concessions under discussion

According to AP, the draft proposal reportedly calls for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia, abandon certain weaponry, and see a rollback of some critical US military assistance. Russia would gain effective control of the eastern Donbas region, even though Ukraine still controls parts of it.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Putin, are said to have been central to drafting the plan.

A peace deal requiring Kyiv to hand over territory would be illegal under Ukraine’s constitution. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly ruled out such a possibility.

Zelensky acknowledges US efforts

During a visit to Turkey, Zelensky acknowledged Trump’s role in pursuing peace: “Since the beginning of this year, we in Ukraine have supported every decisive step and the leadership of @POTUS, every strong and fair proposal aimed at ending this war. And only President Trump and the United States have sufficient power to make this war come to an end.”