The United States has signaled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Washington expects Ukraine to accept a U.S.-crafted framework to end the war with Russia, one that would require Kyiv to surrender territory and reduce parts of its military, according to two people familiar with the proposal.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the plan also calls for cuts to the size of Ukraine’s armed forces and the surrender of some weapons systems. Washington wants Kyiv to agree to the framework’s core elements, they said.
The White House declined to comment. However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that Washington would “continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides of this conflict,” adding that durable peace would require “difficult but necessary concessions.”
Kyiv Kept at Arm’s Length in Drafting Process
A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that Kyiv had received “signals” about U.S. proposals being discussed directly with Russia, and that Ukraine had no role in preparing the framework.
The reported plan would mark a significant setback for Kyiv as Russian forces continue grinding territorial advances in the east, and as Zelenskiy faces a political crisis at home — including the dismissal of his energy and justice ministers on Wednesday amid a corruption scandal.
Zelenskiy held talks on Wednesday in Ankara with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and is expected to meet U.S. Army officials in Kyiv on Thursday. Writing on Telegram, he did not address the U.S. framework directly but stressed the need for strong American leadership.
“The main thing for stopping the bloodshed and achieving lasting peace is that we work in coordination with all our partners and that American leadership remains effective, strong,” he said. He added that only the United States and President Donald Trump “have sufficient strength for the war to finally come to an end.”
Erdogan, he said, offered “different formats” for potential talks and reaffirmed Turkey’s readiness to provide a negotiating platform.
News of the U.S. push helped trigger the biggest jump in Ukraine’s government bond prices in months.
Moscow Shows No Signs of Shifting Position
Despite renewed diplomatic activity, Russia has not altered its conditions for ending the nearly four-year-old war. President Vladimir Putin still demands that Kyiv abandon its NATO ambitions and pull back from four Ukrainian regions Moscow claims as its own.
Russian forces currently control around 19% of Ukraine’s territory and continue to attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure as winter approaches.
Turkey, a NATO member that has maintained ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, previously hosted peace talks in 2022 — the only in-person negotiations until the Trump administration launched its renewed diplomatic push this year. The Kremlin said it would not join Wednesday’s discussions in Ankara but that Putin remained open to hearing their results through U.S. and Turkish channels.
Territorial Concessions for Security Guarantees?
Axios reported on Wednesday, citing a U.S. official, that the plan envisions Kyiv granting Russia control over parts of eastern Ukraine it does not currently hold in exchange for a U.S. security guarantee protecting Ukraine and Europe from future Russian aggression.
European diplomats reacted cautiously. One described the reported plan as another attempt by the Trump administration “to push Kyiv into a corner,” stressing that no settlement could ignore Ukraine’s own position or that of key European allies.
Another diplomat rejected the proposal that Ukraine reduce its military, calling it “a Russian demand rather than a serious proposal.”
According to Reuters, a U.S. delegation led by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is currently in Kyiv on a “fact-finding mission,” the U.S. embassy said. Army Chief of Staff General Randy George is part of the delegation and will meet Zelenskiy on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the visit.
