Diplomatic talks are taking place in Geneva after the leak of a proposed peace plan that many in Kyiv say strongly favors Moscow. The Trump administration confirmed the existence of the draft but called it unfinished; Ukrainian officials and several European leaders say the document would be a major setback for Ukraine.
According to U.S. officials, the draft was prepared by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff together with Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian businessman and adviser to President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian leaders say they were excluded from the process and contend the terms resemble what the Kremlin itself might have written.
Key elements in the proposal would require Ukraine to cede control of parts of the Donbas it currently holds, impose limits on its armed forces and weapons stockpiles, and include a formal renunciation of any future NATO membership. The draft also envisions lifting sanctions on Russia and readmitting Moscow into international institutions. It even proposes a joint Russian‑American Arctic exploration agreement, which could open business avenues for companies working on rare earths and other resources.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is confronting the plan at a politically difficult moment. A corruption scandal involving senior ministers has eroded some of the moral authority that bolstered international backing for his government and has begun to expose divisions within Ukrainian society.
Public reaction inside Ukraine has been raw and emotional. In Ternopil, in western Ukraine, a recent missile strike on a residential building killed more than 30 people, including children, leaving survivors describing hours of explosions and panic as families sheltered in basements. Kateryna Rushkov, a 39‑year‑old mother, told reporters the losses made the draft feel like a total capitulation. Gym instructor Inga Shkarupa said, “People are dying every second, every minute… It feels like Russia is a victim, not us,” and urged Zelenskyy not to sign the agreement.
European leaders, who also say they were not consulted on the proposal, have expressed alarm. They view Ukraine as a frontline state whose security helps protect the rest of Europe and worry the plan would undercut that role. Many are publicly cautious, however, reluctant to confront the U.S. administration directly.
President Trump set a deadline, giving Zelenskyy until Thursday to decide and saying that if Ukraine rejects the deal, “then he can continue to fight his little heart out.” Kyiv faces a fraught calculation over whether to accept terms that critics say would reward Russian aggression and exact a heavy territorial, political and human cost.