Ukraine said it had received a “draft plan” from the United States on ending the war with Russia, as Ukrainian politicians and top European diplomats gave short shrift to proposals that would reportedly force Kyiv to make concessions that it has already rejected as unacceptable.
The office of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday evening that he had “received a draft plan from the American side, which, according to the American side, can intensify diplomacy.”
“Ukraine has been striving for peace since the first seconds of the Russian invasion, and we support all meaningful proposals that can bring real peace closer,” his office said, adding that Mr Zelenskiy hoped to speak to US president Donald Trump “in the coming days” about “the available diplomatic opportunities and the main points that are needed for peace.”
Media accounts of the framework plan suggest it would demand no significant concessions from Russia while obliging Ukraine to give up swathes of territory that it still controls and accept future restrictions on the size and capabilities of its military.
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NBC News reported that Mr Trump had approved a 28-point plan crafted by his special envoy Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, US vice-president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio and Kremlin negotiator and former Wall Street banker Kirill Dmitriev.
The statement from Mr Zelenskiy’s office indicated that he had discussed the new proposals with senior US military officials in Kyiv on Thursday.
“The president of Ukraine outlined the fundamental principles that are important for our people, and following the results of today’s meeting, we agreed to work on the points of the plan in such a way that it would provide a dignified end to the war,” the statement said.
“Ukraine has supported president Trump’s proposals since the beginning of this year to end the bloodshed. And we are ready now to work constructively with the American side and our partners in Europe and the world, so that the result is peace.”
Other Ukrainian politicians bristled at reports of the new US initiative and Mr Dmitriev’s supposed role in helping to shape it.
“First of all, there is nothing concrete about this latest ‘peace plan’. Perhaps this is just a Russian provocation to disorientate Ukraine’s allies and stir up society,” said Oleksandr Merezhko head of the foreign policy committee in Ukraine’s lower house of parliament.
Iryna Herashchenko, another prominent Ukrainian deputy, said the “the so-called peace plan exactly repeats the Russian Federation’s demands for capitulation in 2022,” when the Kremlin launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine. “A key principle has been violated – nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, and this is unacceptable.”
Several European Union foreign ministers also played down prospects for the reported plan at a meeting in Brussels, amid renewed concern that Washington and Moscow want to sideline Europe and railroad Kyiv into accepting de facto capitulation.
“Different peace plans cannot work if the Europeans and Ukrainians do not agree to this,” said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
“We haven’t seen one single concession from the Russian side ... Our approach is to put the pressure on the aggressor to really stop this. And this is the message that we are conveying also to our other partners around the world.”
German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said: “All negotiations about a ceasefire, regarding the further peaceful development of Ukraine, can only be discussed and negotiated with Ukraine ... And Europe will have to be included.”
When asked about US-Russia talks on a possible peace deal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were “contacts” between Moscow and Washington “but there is no process that could be called consultations.”
