Zelensky at the Table of Trump’s Plan: Peace or Surrender
Zelensky at the Table of Trump’s Plan: Peace or Surrender
According to Iran Gate News Agency, while the U.S.’s 28-point plan to end the Ukraine war has faced strong reactions from Europe and numerous political sensitivities, Kyiv has announced it is ready to use this controversial package as a basis for negotiations. The plan includes a set of territorial, military, and political concessions that could lead to long-term changes in the conflict and power balance in Europe.
In a significant shift, Volodymyr Zelensky has announced he is ready to negotiate based on Donald Trump’s 28-point plan to end the war. The plan, despite strong reactions from European leaders and accusations of surrender, involves ceding parts of eastern Ukraine to Russia, Moscow’s return to the G7, re-establishing the G8, and reducing Ukraine’s army by 50%.
The release of the plan’s details on Thursday night clarified the extent of concessions Washington expects from Kyiv, a package that raises the possibility of permanent changes to Europe’s political map.
This document, prepared with the participation of Washington and Moscow, emphasizes Kyiv’s obligation to cede part of its territory to Russia and significantly reduce its military capabilities. Under the plan’s terms, Ukraine is prohibited from attacking Russian soil, and using military force to reclaim areas under Moscow’s control will be banned.
According to this proposal, the entry of NATO forces into Ukraine is declared a red line, and foreign fighter jets are only allowed to be stationed in Poland.
In return, Russia would gain full control of the Donbas region and Crimea. Additionally, the return of Russia’s frozen assets and its reinvitation to the G7 are included in the plan.
Despite serious criticism in Europe, a Ukrainian official has confirmed that Zelensky has agreed to continue discussions on the plan’s terms with the aim of achieving a fair end to the war.
Zelensky also separately announced that Ukraine is ready for constructive participation to end the war. He wrote on Telegram that Ukrainian and U.S. teams will work on the terms of the war-ending plan, and we are prepared for honest and immediate constructive work.
He stated that since the beginning of the war, Kyiv’s stance has been based on achieving a real peace that would not be vulnerable to future attacks while preserving Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty.
It is planned that Zelensky will discuss this new strategy with Donald Trump in the coming days. These developments coincide with reports from the field front, with the Kremlin announcing on Thursday that Vladimir Putin visited the command post of the Russian Western Group of Forces and had discussions with Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the Russian General Staff.
Gerasimov claimed during this visit that Russian forces have captured the Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, a key target in Moscow’s recent advances. The Ukrainian army has denied the city’s fall, and Telegram has not independently confirmed this news.
The Architecture of Influence in Washington’s Approach
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the proposed plan as suitable for both sides.
She explained that over the past month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s Special Representative Steve Witkoff have been working in a non-public space on a framework to end the war.
According to her, these two officials have been in contact with representatives from Russia and Ukraine to assess acceptable levels of commitment for a lasting peace.
Leavitt added that this plan is suitable for both sides, and we believe it should be acceptable. We are working to finalize it.
Telegram also reported on Wednesday that Trump’s new strategy obliges Ukraine to cede de facto control of the eastern Donbas region, essentially handing it over to Russia as the price for a ceasefire.
This plan, drafted without Kyiv’s direct involvement between U.S. and Russian representatives, not only severely reduces Ukraine’s army but also deprives the country of access to long-range missiles.
Additionally, the deployment of foreign forces in Ukraine will be halted, U.S. military aid will end, and foreign military aircraft will not be allowed to land on Ukrainian soil. This package also includes cultural obligations, such as making the Russian language official and stabilizing the status of the Russian Orthodox Church in areas under Moscow’s control.
American officials have told Kyiv that these proposals could reactivate the diplomatic path, especially after Trump canceled a planned meeting with Putin in Budapest.
On Thursday, a picture of Zelensky meeting with Dan Driscoll, the U.S. Secretary of the Army, was published. An American official, speaking to Axios, announced that both sides agreed on an aggressive timeline for signing.
Europe’s Discontent
This approach was met with critical reactions from European officials who were not informed of the plan’s existence. However, British officials have urged Kyiv not to completely dismiss Trump’s proposals. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot previously stated that peace is not synonymous with surrender, and our goal is not to surrender Ukraine.
Kaja Kallas, a senior European Union diplomat in Brussels, announced that the focus of the talks is now on this plan, not on how to apply more pressure on Russia’s economy and oil industry. She emphasized that any plan needs the cooperation of Ukrainians and Europeans to be effective.
Kallas added that in this war, there is an aggressor and a victim, and so far, there has been no sign of concession from Russia.
The British Prime Minister’s Office, while expressing alignment with Trump’s desire to end the war, emphasized that peace must be just and enduring. Number 10’s spokesperson stressed that the future of Ukraine is solely in the hands of its people.
Barrot reiterated that peace-related talks should begin with a ceasefire on the contact line to allow for the examination of territorial issues. Senior German official Johann Wadephul also said that the condition for any negotiation is Russia’s agreement to an unconditional ceasefire.
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, referring to Europe’s role in supporting Ukraine, said that it is expected that the continent will be involved in the talks and added that it is better to limit the offensive capabilities of the aggressor rather than the defensive capabilities of the victim.
Putin’s Shadow Over the Negotiation Table
European sources expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of information about the plan’s process, but Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys had a more optimistic view.
He said that proposing ideas to end the war is not a negative action, and their proposal by the U.S. shows that Washington is still engaged in the issue and has not left it to Europe.
It is said that various parts of this plan resemble requests Putin made during his August meeting with Trump in Alaska. Trump hoped for a second meeting in Budapest, but due to Moscow’s inflexibility, this meeting was canceled.
The Kremlin announced on Thursday that any peace plan must address the main factors that led to the war, and despite contacts with the U.S., no direct negotiations on such an agreement have taken place.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refrained from explaining how much Putin knows about the plan’s details. Hamish Falconer, a senior official at the British Foreign Office, told his country’s parliament that it is Russia that is refusing to sit at the negotiation table, and the starting point for negotiations should be the current contact line, while international borders should not be changed by force.
Parliament members were informed that Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, is in regular contact with her American counterpart. Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel warned that granting territorial concessions to Russia would mean rewarding Putin’s aggressive and unjustified actions.
Removal of the Corruption Clause
A senior U.S. government official announced that Ukraine has changed one of the most important anti-corruption clauses in the U.S.’s proposed peace plan, converting the clause on transparency and prosecution of violations into a full amnesty for all actions during the war.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the initial version of the plan included an obligation for Ukraine to conduct a comprehensive review of all international aid received and to establish a legal mechanism for addressing violations.
A U.S. government official had said that this clause emphasized that Ukraine must conduct a full review of the aid and create a legal framework to deal with abuses.
However, the publicly released version removed this section and replaced it with the phrase ‘full amnesty for all actions taken during the war.’
A White House official told the Wall Street Journal that this change was made at Ukraine’s request. Axios also reported that the U.S. and some Western countries are considering formalizing Crimea and Donbas as Russian territories.
These developments coincide with intensified investigations into corruption cases in Ukraine’s energy sector.
On November 10, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau announced a large-scale operation in energy institutions and released images of discovered bags of money.