• Ukraine's President Zelenskiy has agreed to work on a U.S. draft peace plan, despite significant tensions over its contents, which require major territorial and military concessions.
  • The secret U.S. proposal, reportedly approved by President Trump, would see Ukraine surrender the entire Donbas region, cut its military in half, and suspend its NATO membership push.
  • Ukrainian officials have reacted with deep skepticism, with one senior lawmaker calling the plan "absolutely senseless" and comparing it to 1938 concessions to Nazi Germany.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has indicated willingness to work on a U.S. draft plan to end the war, even as details emerged of a secret American proposal that would require significant Ukrainian concessions. The development comes as U.S. military leaders traveled to Ukraine to discuss the plan, which was reportedly approved by President Donald Trump earlier this week.

The proposed framework includes several controversial provisions that have alarmed Ukrainian officials. According to people familiar with the matter, Ukraine would be required to surrender the entire eastern Donbas region, including areas currently under Ukrainian control in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The military concessions are equally stark—Ukraine would need to cut its armed forces in half while forgoing certain weapons systems entirely.

Beyond territorial and military restrictions, the plan mandates that Ukraine suspend its push for NATO membership for years and bar foreign troops from serving as ceasefire peacekeepers. The proposal also includes cultural provisions requiring Ukraine to recognize Russian as an official language and remove restrictions on the Russian Orthodox Church.

In a significant diplomatic shift, the U.S. and international community would recognize Russian rule over Crimea and Donbas, though Ukraine itself would not be required to formally recognize these territories as Russian. The plan includes a novel "rental fee" arrangement where Russia would make payments for de facto control over Donbas territory while legal ownership remained with Kyiv.

Zelenskiy wrote on social media that "only President Trump and the U.S. have sufficient strength for the war to finally end," emphasizing Ukraine's support for "every strong and fair proposal" capable of producing results. However, the Ukrainian president's willingness to engage with the plan comes despite his government being excluded from the drafting process, along with European partners.

The proposal has met with deep skepticism from Ukrainian officials. Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee, called the proposal "absolutely senseless" and compared it to concessions forced upon Czechoslovakia in 1938. He argued the plan makes no strategic sense for Russia, as Putin has already written these territories into the Russian constitution.

Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Yurchyshyn warned that the approach pressures the victim of aggression to accept territorial losses in exchange for "illusory security guarantees" and predicted Putin would intensify demands rather than accept such terms.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow remains in contact with Washington but denied that any negotiations or consultations are underway. Ukrainian sources suggest Putin could be exploiting these discussions to stir tensions, confuse allies, and buy time to avoid potential Trump sanctions.

The negotiations remain highly fluid, with the U.S. military presence in Ukraine suggesting active diplomatic engagement despite substantial disagreements over the plan's terms. The situation reflects growing pressure for a swift resolution, driven partly by Ukraine's reported worsening battlefield situation and internal political challenges.