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Washington, D.C. – November 21, 2025 – The Trump administration has circulated a detailed 28-point draft proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, a document that calls for major Ukrainian territorial concessions, de facto U.S. recognition of Russian control over Crimea and parts of the Donbas, and strict limits on the future size and capabilities of Ukraine’s military.
The plan, which President Donald Trump has personally reviewed and supports, was delivered to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday by U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. Multiple news organizations, including Axios, CNN, Reuters, and The New York Times, have published extensive excerpts and summaries of the document.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the proposal as a “working document still in flux,” emphasizing that any final agreement would require concessions from both sides. She stressed that Trump seeks a “win-win” outcome that ends the bloodshed while reflecting “realities on the ground.”
Key elements of the draft include:
- De facto U.S. and international recognition of Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk as Russian territory.
- Freezing the front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia along the current line of contact, effectively legitimizing Russian occupation of roughly one-fifth of Ukraine.
- A requirement that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the remaining Ukrainian-held areas of Donetsk Oblast, which would then become a neutral, demilitarized buffer zone internationally recognized as belonging to the Russian Federation.
- A permanent constitutional commitment by Ukraine never to join NATO, coupled with a pledge that no NATO troops or offensive weapons will ever be stationed on Ukrainian soil.
- A cap of 600,000 personnel on Ukraine’s future armed forces (down from the current 800,000–850,000 active troops) and a ban on long-range missiles capable of striking major Russian cities such as Moscow or St. Petersburg.
- Ukrainian national elections to be held within 100 days of signing the agreement.
- Vaguely worded U.S. “security guarantees” for Ukraine that would be modeled on NATO’s Article 5 but would be automatically voided if Kyiv ever launches an unprovoked strike on Russian metropolitan areas. The United States would receive financial compensation for providing these guarantees.
In exchange, Russia would face penalties for renewed aggression: reinstatement of global sanctions, revocation of territorial recognitions, and a coordinated military response. Moscow would also be welcomed back into the international community, including the lifting of all sanctions and an invitation to rejoin the G8.
The plan calls for full amnesty for all participants in the war (a provision that would effectively nullify the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children), an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange, the return of deported children and civilian detainees, and joint Ukrainian-Russian operation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Reconstruction aid would total at least $200 billion, with $100 billion coming from seized Russian assets (the U.S. claiming half of any future profits) and another $100 billion from European nations, channeled through a U.S.-led Ukraine Development Fund.
Implementation and compliance would be overseen by a “Peace Council” chaired by President Trump himself, with automatic sanctions for any violations.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy issued a cautious response on Telegram, saying he is ready for “constructive, honest, and swift work” with the new U.S. administration but stressing that any agreement must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Senior Ukrainian officials privately described many of the territorial and military-limitation clauses as unacceptable.
European reaction has been sharply negative. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that no plan can succeed without full Ukrainian and European involvement. French, German, and British officials echoed that sentiment, with one senior European diplomat anonymously telling reporters the proposal feels like “Groundhog Day,” simply recycling Moscow’s maximalist demands from the failed 2022 Istanbul talks. Another described acceptance of the territorial terms as “political suicide” for any Ukrainian leader.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia has not been formally briefed on the details but urged Kyiv to make a “responsible decision” given Russian military gains. Presidential adviser Kirill Dmitriev, who helped shape the document in talks with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, expressed satisfaction that “the Russian position is really being heard.”
Analysts warn that codifying Russian territorial gains without reciprocal withdrawals would reward aggression and create incentives for future incursions. Ukrainian opposition figures and civil-society groups have already begun mobilizing against the proposal, while pro-war voices on Russian state television celebrated it as validation of Moscow’s battlefield strategy.
With the Trump administration pushing for a signing ceremony before the end of November, intense negotiations—and likely significant revisions—lie ahead. For now, the draft has laid bare the stark choices facing Kyiv: accept painful concessions to stop the killing, or continue fighting in hopes of a better deal later, at the risk of further losses on the battlefield and dwindling Western support.
