Emerging Details of US-Backed Peace Plan Raise Concerns in Ukraine:

New details are emerging about a 28-point peace plan reportedly backed by United States President Donald Trump, aimed at ending Russia’s four-year war on Ukraine. Although the plan has not yet been published officially, several major news agencies and officials say the document appears to lean heavily in Moscow’s favour — sparking alarm in Kyiv and among some European allies. The latest revelations come after US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told the UN Security Council on Thursday that Washington had offered Russia “generous terms, including sanctions relief,” in an effort to stop the fighting. “The United States has invested at the highest levels — the president personally — to end this war,” Waltz said. Yet on the ground, Russia’s attacks have continued. A Russian strike on the city of Zaporizhia late Thursday killed five people and injured three others, according to emergency services. Moscow has recently been advancing across the broader Zaporizhia region, which straddles both sides of the Dnipro River and remains one of the conflict’s most active fronts. Plan Would Recognise Russian Control of Occupied Regions According to AFP, which reviewed what US officials describe as a “working document,” the plan states that “Crimea, Lugansk [Luhansk] and Donetsk will be recognised as de facto Russian, including by the United States.” Axios earlier reported similar details. The Associated Press (AP) also confirmed that under the draft, Ukraine would be required to surrender the entire Donbas region, even though Kyiv still controls around 14 percent of it. Both AFP and AP say the plan would also force Ukraine to limit the size of its armed forces. The draft reportedly caps Ukraine’s military at 600,000 personnel — a significant reduction from the nearly 900,000 active-duty troops it currently fields. Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko shared what he said was the full Ukrainian-language version of the 28-point plan with his 223,000 Telegram followers on Thursday night. Russia’s state-run TASS news agency also highlighted the document, calling it a purported translation of the American proposal. Energy, Nuclear Plant, and Security Provisions Goncharenko’s document includes several new details. It states that Ukraine would retain “the right to EU membership,” and that Washington would work with Kyiv to “restore, develop, modernize, and operate Ukraine’s gas infrastructure,” including pipelines and storage sites. One striking provision concerns the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Russia seized in 2022. Under the draft, the plant would be reopened under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with electricity output shared equally between Russia and Ukraine. The plan also calls for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from the parts of the Donetsk region they still control. This area would then become a neutral, demilitarised buffer zone — a proposal that would require Kyiv to relinquish yet more territory, something deeply unpopular among Ukrainians and prohibited under the country’s constitution. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly ruled out territorial concessions. Even so, his office confirmed Thursday that he had received the draft and would speak with President Trump “in the coming days.” Some European allies have privately voiced frustration, arguing that the US plan heavily favours Russia at Ukraine’s expense. Military Restrictions and Russian Commitments AFP reports that the plan envisions European fighter jets being stationed in Poland to protect Ukraine, but Kyiv would have to agree that no NATO troops would be based inside Ukraine and that the country would never join the alliance. AP adds that Russia would commit not to launch future attacks on Ukraine — a pledge the White House considers a major concession by Moscow. In return, Russia would be gradually reintegrated into the global economy, including re-entry into the G8, according to AFP. The proposal also includes the use of $100 billion in frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that both Ukrainian and Russian representatives have contributed to the draft. She added that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff have been quietly negotiating the plan for the past month.

NEWS