Russia-Ukraine ‘peace plan’: What’s the latest version after US-Kyiv talks?

United States President Donald Trump is sending Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow adjacent week, portion Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll is expected to conscionable Ukrainian officials successful the coming days, arsenic Washington intensifies diplomatic efforts to extremity the astir four-year-old conflict.

Trump’s archetypal 28-point bid plan was modified aft European leaders called it a capitulation to Russian demands, which included Moscow keeping captured Ukrainian territories.

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Speaking to reporters connected Air Force One, Trump said “we’re making progress” connected a revised bid program that appeared to grant Ukraine much of its demands, and added that Kyiv was so “happy”.

Al Jazeera elaborate the controversial 28-point bid plan aft it leaked past week, developed with constricted input from Ukraine. It included plans for Ukraine to cede the eastbound Donbas portion entirely, chopped its subject might, and wholly wantonness immoderate plans of joining the NATO defence alliance. The program met with beardown pushback successful Ukraine and the European Union, arsenic critics said the woody would reward Moscow for invading its smaller neighbour.

Meanwhile, a leaked recording, which shows Witkoff advising a Russian diplomat connected however to merchantability a Ukraine deal, has prompted disapproval successful Europe.

Details of a thoroughly revamped 19-point bid program are inactive emerging. Here’s what we cognize astir what whitethorn person changed based connected statements from American and Ukrainian officials:

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and different members of the US delegation are shown with Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and different members of the Ukrainian delegation earlier closed-door talks connected ending Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine, astatine the US Mission successful Geneva, Switzerland, connected November 23, 2025 [Emma Farge/Reuters]

What was the archetypal plan?

The projected 28-point bid program was made nationalist past week aft a Ukrainian authoritative leaked it to planetary media outlets. The US media reported that it was developed by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, and Witkoff. Both had earlier met with apical Russian diplomat Kirill Dmitriev and Ukraine’s main nationalist information advisor Rustem Umerov, earlier processing and presenting the program to Trump for a greenish light.

Among different things, the program projected de-escalation and buffer zones, that Ukraine would person information guarantees from the US that it would person to wage for, and that Russia would instrumentality nary further aggression against Ukraine oregon its neighbours.

It besides projected that Moscow would enshrine successful its instrumentality a non-aggression argumentation towards Europe, that civilians and prisoners of warfare from some sides beryllium exchanged, that amnesty would beryllium granted to the warring parties, and that Moscow would cease efforts to halt Ukraine from utilizing the Dnipro River to transport atom crossed the Black Sea.

Contentiously, however, constituent 21, which discussed territorial concessions, projected that parts of eastbound Ukraine, including Russia-annexed Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which marque up the fertile Donbas, arsenic good arsenic Kherson and Zaporizhia, beryllium ceded to Russia. The connection further restricted Ukraine to nary much than 600,000 subject unit and required Kyiv to enshrine successful its constitution that it volition not articulation NATO.

What was the reaction?

In Ukraine, aggravated citizens criticised the plan, which they said favoured Russia, portion officials swiftly reached retired to American negotiators for redress.

Ukraine’s European allies, too, who person been mostly sidelined successful the dialog attempt, spoke retired against the deal. Britain, France and Germany, collectively known arsenic Europe’s E3 powers, released an alternate bid woody implicit the weekend, which projected state for Ukraine to articulation NATO based connected agreements wrong the alliance. The European partners besides said Ukraine’s subject should beryllium capped astatine 800,000 members.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, successful a Sunday connection connected the sidelines of the G20 Summit successful South Africa, warned that the US-led program would permission Ukraine much susceptible to Russian aggression. The European Union, she said, would not enactment forceful territorial concessions nor would it judge a woody that did not bespeak “the centrality of the European Union” successful securing bid for Kyiv – though the bid program itself lone stops Ukraine from joining NATO, not the EU.

“Any credible and sustainable bid program should archetypal and foremost halt the sidesplitting and extremity the war, portion not sowing the seeds for a aboriginal conflict,” the Commission president said.

Addressing the European parliament connected Wednesday, von der Leyen reiterated: Any bid statement indispensable guarantee European information without leaving unfastened the anticipation of “carving up” European countries oregon changing borders “by force”.

Ukraine has agelong pushed backmost against Russia’s insistent demands connected its territory, saying that specified concessions are not allowed by instrumentality and would necessitate a referendum. As the battered state continues to endure dense losses nether Russian bombardment, galore Ukrainians cull the thought of what seems similar a surrender aft 4 years of devastating war.

A residential gathering burns aft a Russian onslaught connected Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, connected Wednesday, November 26, 2025 [Kateryna Klochko/AP]

What are the caller proposals?

A caller 19-point bid program emerged this week, pursuing 2 days of talks betwixt US and Ukrainian officials successful Geneva that ended connected Sunday. The talks were led connected Ukraine’s broadside by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s main of unit Andriy Yermak and diplomat Umerov, portion US officials contiguous included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Driscoll, Kushner and Witkoff.

In a statement, Ukraine’s presidency bureau did not disclose details but said the talks were “constructive” and that last decisions connected the refined woody would beryllium made by the presidents of Ukraine and the US.

Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya, who was astatine the Geneva talks, told The Financial Times the gathering was “intense” and astir collapsed earlier it started. However, the resulting draught had near some sides feeling “positive,” helium said, adding that the astir delicate topics – territorial issues and the question of Ukraine’s aboriginal successful NATO – were near for Trump and Zelenskyy to determine on.

“We developed a coagulated assemblage of convergence and a fewer things we tin compromise on,” Kyslytsya told The FT. He said that “very fewer things are near from the archetypal version”.

• The US appeared consenting to region the 600,000-member headdress connected Ukraine’s army, the authoritative said. “They agreed the Ukrainian service fig successful the leaked mentation – whoever authored it – was nary longer connected the table,” Kyslytsya told The FT.
• He added that proposals for broad amnesty for imaginable warfare crimes were rewritten to code “the grievances of those who suffered successful the war”.
• Separately, an unnamed White House authoritative said changes were besides made to the earlier bid deal’s restrictions connected NATO troops positioned successful Ukraine, according to The New York Times. Russia has antecedently claimed without grounds that NATO troops are warring successful Ukraine.

What mightiness Russia want?

Kyslytsya stressed to The FT however consenting the US delegation was to perceive to the Ukrainian broadside and to reappraisal each the issues raised constituent by point. However, with Russia not astatine the table, determination are nary guarantees that President Vladimir Putin volition judge the deal.

“Obviously, the Russians get a ballot present too,” Rubio said astatine the Geneva talks connected Sunday, acknowledging the situation of getting a yes from Moscow.

Potential contentious points stay the contented of ceding territory. Russia, pursuing its penetration of Ukraine, unilaterally declared its annexation of the fertile, mineral-rich Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia provinces, and has kept power of important chunks of territory determination since. Previously, successful 2014, Russia forcefully annexed Crimea.

Putin has pushed for maximalist goals done the warfare and has stuck to his demands since 2022, including to afloat assertion each 5 territories. The Kremlin’s stance has mostly remained unchanged contempt dialog efforts by Trump, who feted Putin astatine a summit successful Alaska that resulted successful nary agreements earlier successful August.

There’s besides the substance of NATO rank for Ukraine, which Moscow has vehemently objected to.

Regarding the uncapping of Ukraine’s subject membership, it’s not wide yet if Russia volition hold to a higher number. In archetypal bid talks successful 2022, Russia projected that Ukraine person nary much than 100,000 troops, acold less than the 600,000 troops mentioned successful the archetypal US bid plan.

What’s next?

Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy volition present person to conscionable to determine the last aspects of the caller deal. Trump initially gave a deadline of Thursday for Ukraine to formally hold to the pact, but said aboriginal connected Tuesday that determination were nary much steadfast deadlines.

It is unclear yet erstwhile a gathering volition beryllium held arsenic the US winds down for the Thanksgiving holidays connected Thursday. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters connected Tuesday that “there are nary plans astatine this moment” for a meeting.

Speaking astatine a video league of the alleged conjugation of the consenting – a radical of 30 countries supporting Ukraine – connected Tuesday, President Zelenskyy said Kyiv was acceptable to “move forward” with the caller “framework”, though helium inactive needed to code “sensitive points”.

Importantly, Washington volition present besides person to get Moscow connected committee with the revised draft.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, commenting connected the program connected Tuesday, said Moscow had not seen it, but warned that it should bespeak “the tone and letter” of the talks betwixt Trump and Putin successful Alaska, adding that if cardinal presumption are erased, “it volition beryllium a fundamentally antithetic concern (for Russia). Putin, astatine those talks, reiterated Russia’s stated goals.

Trump, successful a station connected his Truth Social media network, said helium was looking guardant to bid being accomplished.

“In the hopes of finalizing this Peace Plan, I person directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to conscionable with President Putin successful Moscow and, astatine the aforesaid time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll volition beryllium gathering with the Ukrainians,” Trump wrote.

“I look guardant to hopefully gathering with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY erstwhile the woody to extremity this War is FINAL or, successful its last stages. Thank you for your attraction to this precise important matter, and let’s each anticipation that PEACE tin beryllium accomplished AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!”

US Army Secretary Driscoll, meanwhile, met with Russian officials successful Abu Dhabi connected Tuesday successful an evident effort to convey the caller statement to Moscow up of Witkoff’s sojourn adjacent week. It’s unclear what was discussed, but a spokesperson for Driscoll told reporters the “talks are going well, and we stay optimistic”.

Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin aide, said that the bid program was not discussed successful meetings with US officials successful Abu Dhabi.

Reporting from Moscow, Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova said determination was a batch of “uncertainty” astatine the Kremlin astatine the moment. The Russian side, she said, was not blessed astir revisions to the bid program due to the fact that of the concessions implied for Russia.