The United States and Russia have secretly drafted a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, US media reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. The deal would require Ukraine to cede territory and half the size of its military and is likely to be viewed as surrender in Kyiv, according to the reports.
The draft has been reportedly developed by Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and the Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev and would force Kyiv make concessions. It’s unclear whether Donald Trump’s administration has formally endorsed the 28-point peace proposal similar to the peace plan developed to end the war in Gaza. The White House has repeatedly suggested it was close to reaching a peace deal to end the four-year-old war in Ukraine, however, the peace proposals have failed due to the Kremlin’s maximalist demands.
The reports of the new peace proposal emerged as Russia launched one of the deadliest air assault on Western Ukraine, killing at least 25 people and injuring around 100 others, including children, in the town of Ternopil near Polish border. In addition, energy facilities were damaged in western Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Ukraine activated air alerts across the country and issued threats to local residents. The attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was arriving in Turkiey to revitalize negotiations and secure a “just peace” in Ukraine war. Zelenskiy urged Kyiv’s allies to intensify pressure on the Kremlin to end its war of invasion, including by providing more air defence missiles.
