Ukraine has significantly revised the US-drafted “peace plan” to end the conflict with Russia, removing some of Moscow’s most sweeping demands and narrowing the framework from 28 to 19 points, according to sources familiar with the talks, a report by the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen reported on Tuesday.
The shift comes as European leaders insist that any deal must involve them directly and that no breakthrough is likely in the coming days.
The original 28-point proposal, prepared last month by United States President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, required Ukraine to withdraw from key cities in the eastern Donbass, reduce the size of its armed forces, forgo NATO membership, and give up its claim to Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk.
Following negotiations on Sunday in Geneva led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, the framework was drastically altered. Kiev and its European partners now assert that the existing frontline must serve as the basis for any territorial discussion and reject any recognition of land seized by Russian forces.
On Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the document had been reduced and “many correct elements” incorporated, adding that the remaining sensitive issues would be addressed in talks with Trump, possibly later this week in Washington.
Ukraine’s first deputy foreign minister, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said key issues, notably NATO membership and territorial terms, had been left “in brackets” for Trump and Zelensky. Kiev is simultaneously urging Washington to ensure European participation in the next phases of the process, after officials felt sidelined in the wake of the initial proposal.
US Vice President JD Vance reportedly agreed to that demand, but Moscow quickly signaled dissatisfaction.
Yuri Ushakov, President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy advisor, said Russia would seek to “rework” parts of the US plan, describing some provisions as acceptable but others requiring “detailed discussions”.
He dismissed a separate European counter-proposal, calling it “completely unconstructive”.
European leaders, meeting at an EU-Africa summit in Angola, warned that progress remained limited and that Europe must be involved directly.
European Council President Antonio Costa welcomed “a new momentum," while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the revised framework “a solid basis” but stressed that Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial control were non-negotiable principles.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Russia must ultimately come to the table and that Europeans must sign off on any element affecting their own security. Poland’s Donald Tusk cautioned that the process required delicate handling to keep the US engaged without emboldening Moscow. Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson insisted the talks must ensure “aggression never pays.”
Additionally, the chairs of parliamentary foreign affairs committees from 20 European countries issued a joint warning that any settlement must be “grounded in international law” and not reward Russia’s military actions.
MNA
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