A 28-point proposal to end the war in Ukraine, first reported by Axios and the Financial Times on Wednesday, and which – according to media reports – was developed by the Donald Trump administration in cooperation with Kremlin officials, assumes significant concessions from Kiev. As the American media write, the plan is “very convenient for Putin” and may even lead to “loss of sovereignty” through Ukraine.
According to the plan described by “FT”, Ukraine would – in exchange for peace – give Russia the remaining part of eastern Donbas, including the areas currently controlled by Kiev, and reduce the size of its army by half. No foreign troops would be stationed on Ukrainian territory, and Kiev would no longer receive Western long-range weapons. The plan would also include recognizing the Russian language as the official state language and giving formal status to the Russian Orthodox Church, which lost its influence in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
The White House comments on media reports
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that it is not true that the peace plan that the White House is actually working on assumes serious concessions from Ukraine to Russia, calling such reports reports of “one side of the war”.
The rest of the article below the video:
– I would like you to understand that the administration talked to both sides equally. This week, Steve Witkoff (President Trump's special envoy – PAP) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with representatives of Ukraine – Leavitt emphasized.
The spokeswoman also admitted that Witkoff and Rubio have indeed been working on a peace agreement plan for a month, contacting both sides to “understand what both countries can commit to in order to find a mutually acceptable solution and achieve lasting peace“.
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As Leavitt confirmed, the Secretary (Minister) of United States Army Daniel Driscoll, described by “Politico” as a rising star of the Pentagon, is also participating in the negotiations. Next week, he is scheduled to talk to European NATO allies and set a date for a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov regarding the peace plan.
“Test Balloon”. Experts on the presented proposal for a peace plan for Ukraine
“These media leaks bear all the hallmarks of a trial balloon, not a ready-made plan” – Peter Doran, an expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, told PAP.
In his opinion, it is difficult to determine the source of the leak, although the “primary suspect” may be Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's special envoy, who openly expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching a peace agreement.
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Doran recalled that Dmitriev met “with Donald Trump's people” in Florida on October 24-26.
— Considering that the “points” of the plan clearly tilt in favor of Russia, it seems that Moscow is testing the waters, while Volodymyr Zelensky – due to perfectly timed reports of corruption (in his environment – PAP) – finds himself on the defensive Doran emphasized. However, he noted that there is also a second possibility: the authors of the leak may be “people from within the US administration” trying to push the narrative that the progress expected by Trump has been made..
Matthew Boyse, an expert at the American think tank Hudson Institute, specializing in Central European affairs, is also skeptical about the plan revealed by the media.j. He noted that the wave of reports about the alleged shape of the peace plan coincided with the disclosure of the corruption scandal in Ukraine.
According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), at least $100 million was extorted under the cover of the state-owned company managing Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Enerhoatom. As NABU investigators found, companies cooperating with Enerhoatom had to pay high bribes, worth 10-15 percent. the amount of the order, which was collected, distributed and laundered by high-ranking government officials, as well as businessmen from Zelensky's close circle.
“The Russians probably see this scandal as a way to push through their expectations. This is a “window of opportunity” for them, although these are, of course, only speculations. – Boyse emphasized and reminded that The Russians are trying to somehow return to negotiations after the US president canceled a meeting with Putin in Budapest in October due to unrestrained Russian demands.
Donald Trump also agreed to the bill being processed in the US Senate imposing sanctions on countries trading with Russia, and earlier he introduced sanctions against Russian fuel companies.
As Boyse emphasized, the corruption scandal in Ukraine is widely commented on in the US, and two groups are clashing among decision-makers.
“There are people who have always been skeptical about Zelensky and now they keep saying: “I told you so.”” – admitted Boyse. He added that the second group are people who distrust Putin and support Europe. In their opinion, it is good that Ukrainians are “cleaning up their own affairs” and that “it is a good sign”.
Read also: The US is pressing Ukraine on a peace plan. They have until Thursday
In Boyse's opinion, Americans are now wondering whether Ukraine will demand the extradition of fugitives involved in corruption, and expect “that the guilty will be punished and their heads will roll.”
In this situation, it is an “ideal” moment – according to Boyse – for the Russians to try to take advantage of Kiev's weakness.
Proposed peace plan for Ukraine. Media reports
As the Financial Times wrote, a “group of Russian and American officials” participated in the creation of the peace plan revealed by the media, and one of its “architects” was said to be Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's special envoy and his close associate.
Mark Toth, who was educated in the USA, wrote in the Wall Street Journal that he was Putin's “wunderwaffe”, a miracle weapon that would help Russia “get back into the game”.
It was him who met in Miami with Witkoff, who, according to “FT”, also talked about the plan with the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, and “made it clear” that he wanted Volodymyr Zelensky to accept the terms of the agreement in question.
As Marek Menkiszak, head of the Russian Team at the Center for Eastern Studies in Warsaw, told PAP: Dmitriev is a kind of “guardian” of Witkoff. Both men met in the company of their families in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Dmitriev once showed Witkoff around Russian monuments and went to restaurants with him.
Born in Kiev, Dmitriev is a former American scholarship holder. He graduated cum laude from Stanford University and received an MBA, also cum laude, from Harvard Business School. He also worked at Goldman Sachs and the McKinsey consulting company. As the Ukrainian media emphasize, his career is developing so successfully thanks to the knowledge of his wife, whose friend is Katierina Tikhonova, Putin's daughter.
