The Trump administration and Russian officials have drafted a new, sweeping 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine , which calls for significant concessions from Kiev, and has been presented to Volodymyr Zelensky , according to people briefed on the developments.

As a source with knowledge of the talks told the Financial Times, the plan involved current and former officials from the US and Russia, while the framework remains at an early stage.

The plan was conveyed to the Ukrainian leadership this week by the US president's special envoy, Steve Witkov, who met in Miami with the current secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council and former defense minister, Rustem Umerov, to review the 28 points one by one, according to two people with direct knowledge of the contact.

According to people who have seen the document, the plan requires Ukraine to cede the remaining part of Donbas, including territories still under Ukrainian control, and to reduce the size of its armed forces by half.

A critical point is also the demand to abandon key categories of weapons systems, as well as the reversal of American military aid , which until now has been considered crucial for Ukrainian defense, which would potentially leave the country exposed to future Russian aggression.

The plan also provides for recognition of Russian as the official state language in Ukraine and granting official status to the local branch of the Russian Orthodox Church, two positions that echo long-standing political goals of the Kremlin.

One person who has seen the document described it as very general and heavily biased towards Russia, while another interlocutor called it very comfortable for Putin.

Officials in Kiev who were briefed on the content of the plan noted that it is closely aligned with Moscow's maximalist demands and that it cannot constitute a serious basis for Ukraine without substantial changes.

• The release of the information immediately affected energy markets: Brent fell as much as 3% before limiting losses to 2.3%, at $63.40, while US WTI reached a low of $58.77.

The plan was first revealed by Axios , which reported that the Trump administration has presented Kiev and European partners with a new framework for ending the war, which would see Russia acquire territory in eastern Ukraine that it does not currently control.

According to a senior American official who spoke to Axios, in return, the United States would offer security guarantees to Ukraine and Europe against a future Russian attack.

Washington estimates, as the same official said, that Ukraine is likely to lose these territories if the war continues, therefore it believes that an agreement now would be in Kiev's interest.

At the same time, Reuters, citing two people with knowledge of the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that the United States has conveyed to Zelensky that Ukraine must accept the American plan to end the war.

The 28-point plan attempts to address two of the most contentious issues in the talks: final control of the territories after the end of the war and guarantees that Russia will not restart hostilities at a later stage.

For Ukraine and its allies, the concession of additional territory to Russia constitutes a significant concession.

According to what Axios publishes: 

• Russia would gain full de facto control over Luhansk and Donetsk (the two regions that make up Donbas), although Ukraine would still control about 12% of these areas.
• The parts of Donbas from which Ukraine would withdraw would constitute a demilitarized zone, in which Russia would not be allowed to deploy troops.
• In two other areas where there is occupied territory, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya, the current lines of control would remain largely intact, with Russia returning some territory, subject to negotiations. 

Zelensky: Only Trump has the power to end the war

Volodymyr Zelensky said that American leadership remains crucial to any peace effort, emphasizing that only the United States and President Trump have the power to end the war.

The Ukrainian president emphasized that achieving peace requires continued cooperation with partners and persistence so that American leadership remains effective and strong.

The Kremlin is open to talks

Immediately after the reports of Trump's plan, the Kremlin stated that Russia remains open to talks on Ukraine and that it is continuing contacts with the United States on the issue.

According to the Kremlin spokesman, Moscow can organize a telephone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at any time, if deemed necessary.

However, the Kremlin noted that the necessary preparatory work that would allow a new Putin-Trump summit to take place has not yet been done.

A… balance of necessity

The American side believes that this scheme achieves a balance of necessity, as an official told Axios, given that developments on the battlefield tend to shape de facto realities.

For Ukraine, however, the issue of territorial integrity remains a central issue, while there is still no official position from Kiev on this specific proposal.

The Trump plan is part of a new phase of American mobility, at a time when Zelensky is seeking to restart peace talks with a new diplomatic cycle and with the support of Turkey .

So far, there are no indications that Moscow intends to change its positions on ending the war or to make its own demands.

Axios notes that the US government sees the package as a potential way to stabilize the front and build a long-term security architecture in Europe, provided that Ukraine agrees to the key points of the plan.

• Washington imposed sanctions on Russian energy groups in late October and canceled a planned bilateral summit between Trump and Putin in Budapest. 

Britain: Russia could end the war tomorrow

The British government has backed Trump's efforts to speed up a deal to end the war in Ukraine, following Reuters reports that Washington is pressuring Kiev to accept a US peace framework, which includes the transfer of territory and weapons.

A Foreign Office spokesman said that London shares President Trump's desire to bring this barbaric war to an end, reiterating that Russia could do so as early as tomorrow if it withdraws its forces and ends its illegal invasion.