President Donald Trump’s draft plan to end the war in Ukraine would require Kyiv to surrender territory to Russia and accept strict limits on the size of its military, according to a proposal obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.
The document reflects weeks of quiet negotiations involving U.S. and Russian officials and was discussed Thursday between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a U.S. representative, underscoring the administration’s stepped-up push for a settlement as the conflict nears its fourth year.
If implemented, the plan would reshape Europe’s security landscape by forcing major concessions from Ukraine and its Western allies. Most notably, the draft would bar Ukraine from joining NATO and halt any future expansion of the alliance—long a central demand of Moscow, which views NATO as a threat to its influence and territorial security.
The proposal would also award Russia full control of the eastern Donbas region, including the roughly 14% of the area that remains under Ukrainian control, handing President Vladimir Putin territorial gains he has failed to secure through military force.
The draft outlines incentives for Russia as well. It would establish a pathway for lifting U.S. and European sanctions and restore Moscow’s membership in what was formerly the Group of 8, returning the country to a forum of the world’s largest economies. In exchange, Russia would pledge not to launch future attacks on Ukraine—an assurance the White House is portraying as a meaningful concession. The plan also calls for dedicating $100 billion in frozen Russian assets toward reconstruction in Ukraine.
Still, the proposal faces major political and legal obstacles. Ceding territory is not only deeply unpopular among Ukrainians but is explicitly prohibited under Ukraine’s constitution. Zelensky has repeatedly said he will not agree to give up land seized by Russian forces, insisting that any peace settlement must preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff have been assembling the plan for a month, drawing input from Ukrainian and Russian officials, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Putin, have played central roles in drafting the proposal.
As diplomatic discussions continued, both sides issued conflicting battlefield claims. Russia’s top military officer, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, said Thursday that Russian forces had taken full control of Kupiansk in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, though he acknowledged Ukrainian troops remained in parts of the city. Ukraine’s military denied the claim, insisting its forces continued to hold the front lines.
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