Trump Peace Plan Requires Ukraine to Cede Donbas, Crimea Territory

The Trump administration has reportedly drafted a comprehensive 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine that would require Kyiv to cede territory it currently controls in exchange for binding U.S. security guarantees, acording to a Wednesday report by Axios.

The proposal marks a major, shift in U.S. policy, pressuring Ukraine to withdraw from strategic footholds in the east based on a White House assessment that the territory is likely to be lost regardless if the conflict continues, Axios reporter Barak Ravid wrote.

Under the plan, Russia would gain full de facto control over the entirety of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions—collectively known as the Donbas. This provision would require Ukrainian forces to withdraw from approximately 14.5% of the Donbas territory they currently hold.

While these areas would fall under Russian control, the plan designates the specific zones Ukraine evacuates as a “demilitarized zone,” prohibiting Russia from positioning troops there. In the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the current front lines would largely be frozen, with some return of land subject to future negotiation.

Diplomatically, the plan outlines that the United States and other nations would recognize Crimea and the Donbas as lawfully Russian territory. Ukraine, however, would not be required to formally recognize these annexations.

In exchange for these territorial concessions, Ukraine would receive U.S. security guarantees extending to Europe to deter future Russian aggression. However, Ukrainian officials report that the deal also imposes limitations on the size of the Ukrainian military and restricts its use of long-range weapons.

“It is in Ukraine’s interest to reach a deal now,” a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the plan told Axios, characterizing the withdrawal as an “enormous concession” but a necessary step.

The drafting of the plan has involved high-level mediation from Qatar and Turkey, leveraging their recent experience in Gaza ceasefire negotiations. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff has reportedly held extensive discussions with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Ukrainian officials.

However, diplomatic efforts hit a snag this week regarding a planned trilateral meeting in Ankara between Witkoff, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

U.S. officials allege that Zelensky “walked back” understandings previously reached between Witkoff and Zelensky’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov. The U.S. side claims Umerov was empowered to negotiate and had influenced the text of the plan, but that Zelensky ultimately balked at the terms.

Ukrainian officials dispute this narrative, stating that Umerov received only an oral briefing rather than a written proposal and did not accept the terms. Kyiv reportedly objected to the exclusion of European partners, with Zelensky preferring to discuss peace plans in a broader format.
Pressure on Kyiv

Tensions are reportedly high, with U.S. officials suggesting that a domestic corruption scandal involving Zelensky’s advisers contributed to the postponement of the Ankara talks.

The Trump administration has indicated it is now taking a wait-and-see approach.
“We are now going to wait. The ball is in Zelensky’s court,” a U.S. official stated, noting that the Ukrainian president is welcome to come to Washington if he wishes to re-engage with the new U.S. framework.