• U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff has been coordinating with Russia's Kirill Dmitriev on strategy for presenting a Ukraine peace plan directly to President Trump.
  • The 28-point proposal demands Ukraine cede the Russian-occupied Donbas region and significantly reduce its armed forces.
  • Critics describe the plan as containing maximalist Russian demands that was rejected by Ukrainian and European representatives.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff has been advising Russian officials on how to pitch a proposed Ukraine peace plan directly to President Trump, according to people familiar with the diplomatic efforts. The coordination between Witkoff and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev represents a significant shift in the administration's approach to ending the conflict.

The proposed 28-point plan, which emerged publicly in November 2025, is structured around four main themes: achieving peace in Ukraine, establishing security guarantees, ensuring security in Europe, and outlining future relations between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. Key provisions include demands that Ukraine cede the Russian-occupied eastern Donbas region to Russia and reduce its armed forces by approximately half.

Witkoff, originally tasked as Trump's Middle East negotiator, expanded his role after Trump was reportedly pleased with his work on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement. Since March 2025, Witkoff has traveled to meet Vladimir Putin at least four times, according to diplomatic sources. During an October visit to Miami, Dmitriev spent three days collaborating with Witkoff and Trump's team, expressing optimism about the plan's prospects.

The diplomatic efforts mark a dramatic reversal from early April 2025, when the Trump administration threatened the Kremlin with additional sanctions if it refused reciprocal steps. Within one week, Trump's approach changed dramatically toward considering Putin's demands more seriously, influenced by the prospect of a potential meeting between Trump and Putin.

When presented to Ukrainian and European representatives in Paris, the plan was rejected for containing "so many concessions to Moscow on security issues," according to officials briefed on the discussions. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William B. Taylor indicated that another American delegation with deeper understanding of the situation would present an alternative proposal to Ukraine.

Analysts have raised concerns about the negotiators' experience, describing Witkoff and Dmitriev as "diplomatic amateurs" leading negotiations on Europe's bloodiest war in decades. There is particular concern that Putin may move the goalposts for Ukrainian security concessions in future rounds of negotiation, exploiting Trump's desire for quick diplomatic wins.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Witkoff's specific advisory role to Russian officials. The situation remains fluid, with the potential for further diplomatic developments as the administration pursues its goal of ending the Ukraine conflict.